Genesis 21

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 Yahweh treated Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised her.	1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.
2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time God had promised.	2 And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
3 Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had given birth.	3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.	4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.	5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 Sarah said: God has given me cause to laugh! Al who hear about this wil laugh with me!	6 And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; every one who hears will laugh over me."
7 She added: Whoever would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children! Yet I have borne ason in his old age.	7 And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would suckle children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."
8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham gave a great banquet on the day Isaac was weaned.	8 And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
9 Now Sarah watched the son that Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, playing with her sonIsaac.	9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.
10 'Drive away that slave-girl and her son,' she said to Abraham, 'this slave-girl's son is not to share theinheritance with my son Isaac.'	10 So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac."
11 This greatly distressed Abraham, because the slave-girl's child too was his son,	11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son.
12 but God said to him, 'Do not distress yourself on account of the boy and your slave-girl. Do whateverSarah says, for Isaac is the one through whom your name wil be carried on.	12 But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the lad and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named.
13 But the slave-girl's son I shal also make into a great nation, for he too is your child.'	13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring."
14 Early next morning, Abraham took some bread and a skin of water and, giving them to Hagar, putthe child on her shoulder and sent her away. She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba.	14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
15 When the skin of water was finished she abandoned the child under a bush.	15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes.
16 Then she went and sat down at a distance, about a bowshot away, thinking, 'I cannot bear to see thechild die.' Sitting at a distance, she began to sob.	16 Then she went, and sat down over against him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Let me not look upon the death of the child." And as she sat over against him, the child lifted up his voice and wept.
17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. 'What is wrong,Hagar?' he asked. 'Do not be afraid, for God has heard the boy's cry in his plight.	17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Go and pick the boy up and hold him safe, for I shal make him into a great nation.'	18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation."
19 Then God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well, so she went and fil ed the skin with water andgave the boy a drink.	19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
20 God was with the boy. He grew up and made his home in the desert, and he became an archer.	20 And God was with the lad, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.
21 He made his home in the desert of Paran, and his mother got him a wife from Egypt.	21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22 About then, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, 'Since God is withyou in everything you do,	22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do;
23 swear to me by God, here and now, that you wil not act treacherously towards me or my kith andkin, but behave with the same faithful love to me and the land of which you are a guest as I have behaved toyou.'	23 now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but as I have dealt loyally with you, you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned."
24 'Yes,' Abraham replied, 'I swear it.'	24 And Abraham said, "I will swear."
25 Abraham then reproached Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's servants had seized.	25 When Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized,
26 'I do not know who has done this,' Abimelech said. 'You yourself have never mentioned it to me and,for myself, I heard nothing of it til today.'	26 Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today."
27 Abraham then took sheep and cattle and presented them to Abimelech, and the two of them made acovenant.	27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
28 Abraham put seven lambs of the flock on one side.	28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart.
29 'Why have you put these seven lambs on one side?' Abimelech asked Abraham.	29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart?"
30 He replied, 'You must accept these seven lambs from me as evidence that I have dug this wel .'	30 He said, "These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that you may be a witness for me that I dug this well."
31 This was why the place was cal ed Beersheba: because there the two of them swore an oath.	31 Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba; because there both of them swore an oath.
32 After they had made a covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army,left and went back to Philistine territory.	32 So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beersheba and there he invoked the name of Yahweh.	33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
34 Abraham stayed for a long while in Philistine territory.	34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.