Isaac Is Born
1The Lord was gracious to Sarah, just as he had said he would be. The Lord did for Sarah what he had promised to do. 2Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. The child was born at the exact time God had promised. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. He did it exactly as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6Sarah said, “God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would breast-feed children? But I’ve had a son by him when he is old.”
Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away
8Isaac grew. The time came for his mother to stop breast-feeding him. On that day Abraham prepared a big celebration. 9But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. Ishmael was the son Hagar had by Abraham. Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian slave. 10Sarah said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman! Get rid of her son! That woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. All of it belongs to my son Isaac.”
11What Sarah said upset Abraham very much. After all, Ishmael was his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be so upset about the boy and your slave Hagar. Listen to what Sarah tells you, because your family line will continue through Isaac. 13I will also make the son of your slave into a nation. I will do it because he is your child.”
14Early the next morning Abraham got some food and a bottle of water. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He gave the food and water to Hagar, placing them on her shoulders. Then he sent her away with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.
15When the water in the bottle was gone, she put the boy under a bush. 16Then she sat down about as far away as a person can shoot an arrow. She thought, “I can’t stand to watch the boy die.” As she sat there, she began to sob.
17God heard the boy crying. Then the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven. He said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18Lift up the boy and take him by the hand. I will make him into a great nation.”
19Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the boy a drink.
20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and learned to shoot a bow and arrow. 21While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
The Agreement at Beersheba
22At that time Abimelek and his army commander, Phicol, spoke to Abraham. They said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23Now make a promise to me here while God is watching. Give me your word that you will treat me fairly. Promise that you will treat my children and their children the same way. I’ve been kind to you. Now you be kind to me and the country where you are living as an outsider.”
24Abraham said, “I give you my word that I’ll do it.”
25Then Abraham complained to Abimelek that his servants had taken over a well of water. 26But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You didn’t tell me. And today is the first time I heard about it.”
27So Abraham gave Abimelek sheep and cattle. The two men came to an agreement. 28Then Abraham picked out seven female lambs from his flock. 29Abimelek asked Abraham, “What’s the meaning of these seven female lambs? Why have you picked them out and set them apart?”
30Abraham replied, “Accept the seven lambs from me. They will be a witness that I dug this well.”
31So that place was named Beersheba. That’s because there the two men came to an agreement.
32After the agreement had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek went back to the land of the Philistines. His army commander, Phicol, went with him. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he called on the name of the Lord, the God who lives forever. 34Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
Isaks fødsel
1Herren velsignede Sara, som han havde lovet: 2Hun blev gravid og fødte Abraham en søn i hans alderdom—på det tidspunkt, som Gud havde sagt. 3Abraham kaldte sin søn Isak. 4På ugedagen21,4 I Mellemøsten og Afrika tæller man dagene inklusivt. Udtrykket „på den ottende dag” svarer derfor til „syv dage efter” på dansk. Det er ugedagen efter fødslen. efter fødslen omskar Abraham sin søn Isak, sådan som Gud havde pålagt ham. 5Abraham var på det tidspunkt 100 år gammel.
6Ved den lejlighed sagde Sara: „Gud har fået mig til at le! Og alle, som hører om det her, vil le sammen med mig. 7Hvem turde sige til Abraham, at jeg kunne få et barn? Men nu har jeg født ham et barn i hans alderdom.”
Hagar og Ishmael sendes væk
8Drengen voksede til og blev vænnet fra. I den anledning holdt Abraham en stor fest. 9Men da Sara opdagede, at Ishmael drillede hendes søn Isak, 10sagde hun til Abraham: „Jag den slavekvinde og hendes søn bort, for slavekvindens søn skal ikke have del i arven sammen med min søn, Isak.” 11Det blev Abraham meget oprørt over, for Ishmael var trods alt også hans søn.
12Men Gud sagde til Abraham: „Vær ikke bekymret for slavekvinden og hendes søn. Gør som Sara siger! For det er gennem Isak, din slægt skal opbygges. 13Men jeg vil også gøre slavekvindens søn til et stort folk, fordi han er din søn.”
14Tidligt næste morgen kom Abraham med en pose mad og en skindsæk med vand til Hagar og drengen. Han anbragte provianten på hendes skulder og sendte dem af sted. De vandrede rundt på lykke og fromme i Be’ershebas ørken. 15Da vandbeholdningen slap op, efterlod hun drengen udmattet i skyggen af en busk. 16Så gik hun omkring hundrede meter væk og satte sig ned. „Jeg kan ikke holde ud at se ham dø,” sagde hun og brast i gråd.
17Men Gud hørte drengens klynken, og Herrens engel råbte fra Himlen: „Hagar, hvad er der i vejen? Du skal ikke være bange! Gud har hørt drengens klynken, dér hvor han ligger. 18Gå hen og hjælp ham op og trøst ham. Hans efterkommere skal blive et stort folk.” 19I det samme åbnede Gud hendes øjne, så hun fik øje på en kilde med vand. Hun fyldte straks vandsækken og gav drengen noget at drikke.
20-21Gud velsignede drengen. Han voksede op i Parans ørken og blev en dygtig bueskytte. Hans mor fandt en pige til ham fra Egypten, som han giftede sig med.
En pagt mellem Abraham og Abimelek
22Omkring den tid blev Abraham opsøgt af kong Abimelek og hans hærfører Pikol. „Der er ingen tvivl om, at Gud er med dig i alt, hvad du foretager dig,” sagde Abimelek. 23„Jeg vil derfor bede dig sværge i Guds navn, at du aldrig vil handle forræderisk imod mig eller mine børn eller børnebørn. Jeg har været loyal over for dig, så sværg nu på, at du altid vil være loyal over for mig og mit land, hvor du bor som gæst.”
24„Det sværger jeg på!” svarede Abraham. 25Men derefter beklagede han sig over, at Abimeleks folk med vold havde tilranet sig en af hans brønde. 26Dertil svarede Abimelek: „Det havde jeg ingen anelse om! Siden jeg ikke har hørt om det før, ved jeg ikke, hvem der er ansvarlig i den sag. Hvorfor har du ikke sagt det til mig noget før?”
27Derpå gav Abraham kong Abimelek nogle får og køer som tegn på den pagt, han indgik med ham. 28Men da Abraham satte yderligere syv lam til side, 29spurgte Abimelek: „Hvad vil du gøre med dem?” 30„De syv lam er en særlig gave—og en offentlig bekræftelse på, at brønden tilhører mig,” svarede Abraham. 31Fra da af kaldte man brønden Be’ersheba,21,31 Det betyder: „pagtsbrønden” eller „syvbrønden”. for det var der, de indgik deres pagt.
32Efter at pagten var indgået, vendte Abimelek og hans hærfører Pikol tilbage til filistrenes land. 33Men Abraham plantede en tamarisk ved pagtsbrønden, og tilbad Herren, den evige Gud, på det sted. 34Abraham boede som fremmed i filistrenes land i lang tid.
