Genesis 16 – NIVUK & NIRV

New International Version – UK

Genesis 16:1-16

Hagar and Ishmael

1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2so she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.’

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’

6‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai ill-treated Hagar; so she fled from her.

7The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’

‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered.

9Then the angel of the Lord told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ 10The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’

11The angel of the Lord also said to her:

‘You are now pregnant

and you will give birth to a son.

You shall name him Ishmael,16:11 Ishmael means God hears.

for the Lord has heard of your misery.

12He will be a wild donkey of a man;

his hand will be against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he will live in hostility

towards16:12 Or live to the east / of all his brothers.’

13She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen16:13 Or seen the back of the One who sees me.’ 14That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

15So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

New International Reader’s Version

Genesis 16:1-16

Hagar and Ishmael

1Abram’s wife Sarai had never had any children by him. But she had a female slave from Egypt named Hagar. 2So she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go and sleep with my slave. Maybe I can have a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai had said. 3His wife Sarai gave him her slave Hagar to be his wife. That was after he had been living in Canaan for ten years. 4Then he slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant.

When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to look down on the woman who owned her. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, “It’s your fault that I’m suffering like this. I put my slave in your arms. Now that she knows she’s pregnant, she looks down on me. May the Lord judge between you and me. May he decide which of us is right.”

6“Your slave belongs to you,” Abram said. “Do with her what you think is best.” Then Sarai treated Hagar badly. So Hagar ran away from her.

7The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert. The spring was beside the road to Shur. 8The angel said, “Hagar, you are Sarai’s slave. Where have you come from? Where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my owner Sarai,” she answered.

9Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to the woman who owns you. Obey her.” 10The angel continued, “I will give you and your family many children. There will be more of them than anyone can count.”

11The angel of the Lord also said to her,

“You are now pregnant

and will have a son.

You will name him Ishmael,

because the Lord has heard about your suffering.

12He will be like a wild donkey.

He will use his power against everyone,

and everyone will be against him.

He will not get along with any of his family.”

13She gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her. She called him “You are the God who sees me.” That’s because she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14That’s why the well was named Beer Lahai Roi. It’s still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

15So Hagar had a son by Abram and Abram gave him the name Ishmael. 16Abram was 86 years old when Hagar had Ishmael by him.