Genesis 16
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him a child. She did have, though, an Egyptian maid.
Her name was Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “Look here, the Lord God has clearly displayed
That he wishes to keep me from bearing children. Please go into my maid where she lies;
Perhaps through her, I shall have a son to rise up.” Abram heeded the words of Sarai.
So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid– after Abram had lived
For ten years in the land of Canaan– and gave her to her husband Abram as wife/gift.
He went in to Hagar and Hagar became pregnant. But when she saw she had conceived,
Her mistress became lowered in her esteem. And so Sarai said to Abram, aggrieved,
“The wrong done to me is your fault! Yes, I myself brought my maid to your bosom; but now
Since she sees she’s conceived, she sees me with contempt. May the Lord judge between us somehow.”
Abram said to Sarai, “Your maid is in your hands. You may deal with her as you see fitting.”
Sarai treated her harshly, so she ran away. But God’s messenger found Hagar sitting
By a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the road going to Shur.
He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, from where have you come, and to where are you going, what’s more?”
She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” And then God’s messenger said to her,
“Go return to your mistress and let yourself be treated harshly, and do not demur.”
And God’s messenger said, “I shall make your seed many, too many to count when I’m done.”
And the Lord’s messenger said to her, “Behold, now you are pregnant! You will bear a son;
Name him Ishmael, (“God heeds”), for God heeds your suffering. He shall be a wild man,
With his hand against all and all theirs against him, he shall settle among his brethren.”
So she called out the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are God of Seeing,” she said,
“Have I still gone on seeing once the Lord has seen me?” (She was surprised not to be dead.)
And so therefore the well was called Beerlahairoi, (“Well of the Living One Who Sees Me”)
And it lies between Kadesh and Bered. (The site where she saw she was seen, all can see.)
Hagar bore a son to Abram, Ishmael was the name Abram had called him at birth.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram on this earth.