The LORD kept
his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant,
and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just
the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days
after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was
100 years old when Isaac was born.
And Sarah
declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with
me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have
given Abraham a son in his old age!”
When Isaac grew
up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the
occasion. But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant
Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get
rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance
with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!”
This upset
Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. But God told Abraham, “Do not be
upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is
the son through whom your descendants will be counted. But I will also make a
nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”
So Abraham got
up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped
them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she
wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.
When the water
was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by
herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she
said, as she burst into tears.
But God heard
the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar,
what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go
to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.”
Then God opened
Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water
container and gave the boy a drink.
And God was with
the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, and he
settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a
woman from the land of Egypt.
About this time,
Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is
obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. “Swear
to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my
descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to
me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”
Abraham replied,
“Yes, I swear to it!” Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that
Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.
“This is the
first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is
responsible. You have never complained about this before.”
Abraham then
gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty.
But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by
themselves. Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the
others?”
Abraham replied,
“Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” Then
he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was
where they had sworn the oath.
After making
their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his
army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham
planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the
Eternal God.And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long
time.
~ Source : Genesis 21:1-34
[Holy Bible -NLT] taken from https://www.biblegateway.com
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