Isaac is born. Agar and Ismael are cast forth.
21:1. And the Lord visited Sara, as he had promised: and fulfilled what
he had spoken.
21:2. And she conceived and bore a son in her old age, at the time that
God had foretold her.
21:3. And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sara bore him, Isaac.
Isaac... This word signifies laughter.
21:4. And he circumcised him the eighth day, as God had commanded him,
21:5. When he was a hundred years old: for at this age of his father,
was Isaac born.
21:6. And Sara said: God hath made a laughter for me: whosoever shall
hear of it will laugh with me.
21:7. And again she said: Who would believe that Abraham should hear
that Sara gave suck to a son, whom she bore to him in his old age?
21:8. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast
on the day of his weaning.
21:9. And when Sara had seen the son of Agar, the Egyptian, playing with
Isaac, her son, she said to Abraham:
21:10. Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman
shall not be heir with my son Isaac.
21:11. Abraham took this grievously for his son.
21:12. And God said to him: Let it not seem grievous to thee for the
boy, and for thy bondwoman: in all that Sara hath said to thee, hearken
to her voice: for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
21:13. But I will make the son also of the bondwoman a great nation,
because he is thy seed.
21:14. So Abraham rose up in the morning, and taking bread and a bottle
of water, put it upon her shoulder, and delivered the boy, and sent her
away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee.
21:15. And when the water in the bottle was spent, she cast the boy
under one of the trees that were there.
21:16. And she went her way, and sat over against him a great way off, as
far as a bow can carry, for she said: I will not see the boy die: and
sitting over against, she lifted up her voice and wept.
21:17. And God heard the voice of the boy: and an angel of God called to
Agar from heaven, saying: What art thou doing, Agar? fear not; for God
hath heard the voice of the boy, from the place wherein he is.
21:18. Arise, take up the boy, and hold him by the hand, for I will make
him a great nation.
21:19. And God opened her eyes: and she saw a well of water, and went
and filled the bottle, and gave the boy to drink.
21:20. And God was with him: and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness,
and became a young man, an archer.
21:21. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pharan, and his mother took a
wife for him out of the land of Egypt.
21:22. At the same time Abimelech, and Phicol the general of his army,
said to Abraham: God is with thee in all that thou dost.
21:23. Swear therefore by God, that thou wilt not hurt me, nor my
posterity, nor my stock: but according to the kindness that I have done
to thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the land wherein thou hast lived a
stranger.
21:24. And Abraham said: I will swear.
21:25. And he reproved Abimelech for a well of water, which his servants
had taken away by force.
21:26. And Abimelech answered: I knew not who did this thing: and thou
didst not tell me, and I heard not of it till today.
21:27. Then Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech: and
both of them made a league.
21:28. And Abraham set apart seven ewelambs of the flock.
21:29. And Abimelech said to him: What mean these seven ewelambs which
thou hast set apart?
21:30. But he said: Thou shalt take seven ewelambs at my hand: that they
may be a testimony for me, that I dug this well.
21:31. Therefore that place was called Bersabee; because there both of
them did swear.
Bersabee... That is, the well of oath.
21:32. And they made a league for the well of oath.
21:33. And Abimelech and Phicol, the general of his army, arose and
returned to the land of the Palestines. But Abraham planted a grove in
Bersabee, and there called upon the name of the Lord God eternal.
21:34. And he was a sojourner in the land of the Palestines many days.