Genesis 16-18; Psalms 5 - Prayer Tents

The Birth of Ishmael

16Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.H8297H87H802H3205H3808H3205H8198H4713H8034H1904 2So Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.H8297H559H87H3068H6113H3205H935H8198H194H1129H87H8085H6963H8297 3So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)H8297H87H802H3947H1904H8198H4713H7093H87H3427H6235H8141H776H3667H5414H376H87H802 4So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.H935H1904H2029H7200H2029H1404H7043H5869 5Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she's pregnant she treats me with contempt. The LORD will show who's wrong—you or me!"H8297H559H87H2555H5414H8198H2436H7200H2029H7043H5869H3068H8199 6Abram replied, "Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit." Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.H87H559H8297H8198H3027H6213H2896H5869H8297H6031H1272H6440 7The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.H4397H3068H4672H5869H4325H4057H5869H1870H7793 8The angel said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai," she replied.H559H1904H8297H8198H335H935H3212H559H1272H6440H1404H8297 9The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority."H4397H3068H559H7725H1404H6031H3027 10Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count."H4397H3068H559H7235H2233H7235H5608H7230 11And the angel also said, "You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means 'God hears'), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress.H4397H3068H559H2009H2030H3205H1121H7121H8034H3458H3068H8085H6040 12This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives."H6501H120H3027H3027H7931H6440H251 13Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me." She also said, "Have I truly seen the One who sees me?"H7121H8034H3068H1696H410H7210H559H1988H7200H310H7210 14So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means "well of the Living One who sees me"). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.H875H7121H883H2416H6946H1260 15So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael.H1904H3205H87H1121H87H7121H1121H8034H1904H3205H3458 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.H87H8084H8141H8337H8141H1121H1904H3205H3458H87

Abram Is Named Abraham

17When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am El-Shaddai—'God Almighty.' Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.H87H8673H8141H8141H1121H8672H3068H7200H87H559H7706H410H1980H6440H8549 2I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants."H5414H1285H7235H3966H3966 3At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,H87H5307H6440H430H1696H559 4"This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!H589H1285H1H1995H1471 5What's more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.H8034H7121H87H8034H85H1H1995H1471H5414 6I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!H6509H3966H3966H6509H5414H1471H4428H3318 7"I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.H6965H1285H2233H310H1755H5769H1285H430H2233H310 8And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God."H5414H2233H310H776H4033H776H3667H5769H272H430

The Mark of the Covenant

9Then God said to Abraham, "Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.H430H559H85H8104H1285H2233H310H1755 10This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.H1285H8104H2233H310H2145H4135 11You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you.H5243H1320H6190H226H1285 12From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased.H8083H3117H1121H4135H2145H1755H3211H1004H4736H3701H1121H5236H2233 13All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant.H3211H1004H4736H3701H4135H4135H1285H1320H5769H1285 14Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant."H6189H2145H834H1320H6190H4135H5315H3772H5971H6565H1285

Sarai Is Named Sarah

15Then God said to Abraham, "Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.H430H559H85H8297H802H7121H8034H8297H3588H8283H8034 16And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants."H1288H5414H1121H1288H1471H4428H5971 17Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. "How could I become a father at the age of 100?" he thought. "And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?"H85H5307H6440H6711H559H3820H3205H3967H8141H1121H8283H8673H8141H1323H3205 18So Abraham said to God, "May Ishmael live under your special blessing!"H85H559H430H3863H3458H2421H6440 19But God replied, "No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant.H430H559H8283H802H3205H1121H61H7121H8034H3327H6965H1285H5769H1285H2233H310 20As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.H3458H8085H1288H6509H7235H3966H3966H6240H8147H5387H3205H5414H1419H1471 21But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year."H1285H6965H3327H8283H3205H4150H312H8141 22When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.H3615H1696H430H5927H85 23On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him.H85H3947H3458H1121H3211H1004H4736H3701H2145H582H85H1004H4135H1320H6190H6106H3117H430H1696 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,H85H8673H8141H1121H8672H4135H1320H6190 25and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen.H3458H1121H6240H7969H8141H1121H4135H1320H6190 26Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day,H6106H3117H85H4135H3458H1121 27along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.H582H1004H3211H1004H4736H3701H1121H5236H4135