Genesis 21

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Then the Lord visited Sarah, just as he had promised; and he fulfilled what he had spoken.	1 The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would; he did for her as he had promised.
2 And she conceived and gave birth to a son in her old age, at the time that God had foretold to her.	2 Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time that God had stated.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sarah bore for him, Isaac.	3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his whom Sarah bore him.
4 And he circumcised him on the eighth day, just as God had instructed him,	4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded.
5 when he was one hundred years old. Indeed, at this stage of his father’s life, Isaac was born.	5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 And Sarah said: “God has brought laughter to me. Whoever will hear of it will laugh with me.”	6 Sarah then said, "God has given me cause to laugh, and all who hear of it will laugh with me.
7 And again, she said: “Hearing this, who would believe Abraham, that Sarah breast-fed a son, to whom she gave birth, despite being elderly?”	7 Who would have told Abraham," she added, "that Sarah would nurse children! Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."
8 And the boy grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning.	8 Isaac grew, and on the day of the child's weaning, Abraham held a great feast.
9 And when Sarah had seen the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac, she said to Abraham:	9 Sarah noticed the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham playing with her son Isaac;
10 “Cast out this woman servant and her son. For the son of a woman servant will not be heir with my son Isaac.”	10 so she demanded of Abraham: "Drive out that slave and her son! No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance with my son Isaac!"
11 Abraham took this grievously, for the sake of his son.	11 Abraham was greatly distressed, especially on account of his son Ishmael.
12 And God said to him: “Let it not seem harsh to you concerning the boy and your woman servant. In all that Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be invoked in Isaac.	12 But God said to Abraham: "Do not be distressed about the boy or about your slave woman. Heed the demands of Sarah, no matter what she is asking of you; for it is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name.
13 Yet I will also make the son of the woman servant into a great nation, for he is your offspring.”	13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a great nation of him also, since he too is your offspring."
14 And so Abraham arose in the morning, and taking bread and a skin of water, he placed it upon her shoulder, and he handed over the boy, and he released her. And when she had departed, she wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.	14 Early the next morning Abraham got some bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. Then, placing the child on her back, he sent her away. As she roamed aimlessly in the wilderness of Beer-sheba,
15 And when the water in the skin had been consumed, she set aside the boy, under one of the trees that were there.	15 the water in the skin was used up. So she put the child down under a shrub,
16 And she moved away and sat in a distant area, as far as a bow can reach. For she said, “I shall not see the boy die.” And so, sitting opposite her, he lifted up his voice and wept.	16 and then went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away; for she said to herself, "Let me not watch to see the child die." As she sat opposite him, he began to cry.
17 But God heard the voice of the boy. And an Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, saying: “What are you doing, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heeded the voice of the boy, from the place where he is.	17 God heard the boy's cry, and God's messenger called to Hagar from heaven: "What is the matter, Hagar? Don't be afraid; God has heard the boy's cry in this plight of his.
18 Rise up. Take the boy and hold him by the hand. For I will make of him a great nation.”	18 Arise, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand; for I will make of him a great nation."
19 And God opened her eyes. And seeing a well of water, she went and filled the skin, and she gave the boy to drink.	19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink.
20 And God was with him. And he grew, and he stayed in the wilderness, and he became a young man, an archer.	20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert bowman,
21 And he lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.	21 with his home in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22 At the same time, Abimelech and Phicol, the leader of his army, said to Abraham: “God is with you in everything that you do.	22 About that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham: "God is with you in everything you do.
23 Therefore, swear by God that you will do no harm to me, and to my posterity, and to my stock. But according to the mercy that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land, to which you have turned as a newcomer.”	23 Therefore, swear to me by God at this place that you will not deal falsely with me or with my progeny and posterity, but will act as loyally toward me and the land in which you stay as I have acted toward you."
24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”	24 To this Abraham replied, "I so swear."
25 And he reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which his servants had taken away by force.	25 Abraham, however, reproached Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's men had seized by force.
26 And Abimelech responded, “I do not know who did this thing, but you also did not reveal it to me, nor have I heard of it, before today.”	26 "I have no idea who did that," Abimelech replied. "In fact, you never told me about it, nor did I ever hear of it until now."
27 And so Abraham took sheep and oxen, and he gave them to Abimelech. And both of them struck a pact.	27 Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech and the two made a pact.
28 And Abraham set aside seven female lambs from the flock.	28 Abraham also set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock,
29 Abimelech said to him, “What purpose have these seven female lambs, which you have caused to stand separately?”	29 and Abimelech asked him, "What is the purpose of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?"
30 But he said, “You will receive seven female lambs from my hand, so that they may be a testimony for me, that I dug this well.”	30 Abraham answered, "The seven ewe lambs you shall accept from me that thus I may have your acknowledgment that the well was dug by me."
31 For this reason, that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them did swear.	31 This is why the place is called Beer-sheba; the two took an oath there.
32 And they initiated a pact on behalf of the well of oath.	32 When they had thus made the pact in Beer-sheba, Abimelech, along with Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Then Abimelech and Phicol, the leader of his army, rose up, and they returned to the land of the Palestinians. In truth, Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord God Eternal.	33 Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beer-sheba, and there he invoked by name the LORD, God the Eternal.
34 And he was a settler in the land of the Palestinians for many days.	34 Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for many years.