The Birth of Isaac

(Romans 8:12-17; Galatians 4:1-7)

1And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken. 2For Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born to him. 6And Sarah said, God has made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

8And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born to Abraham, mocking. 10Why she said to Abraham, Cast out this female slave and her son: for the son of this female slave shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12And God said to Abraham, Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad, and because of your female slave; in all that Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac shall your seed be called. 13And also of the son of the female slave will I make a nation, because he is your seed. 14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, What ails you, Hagar? fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in your hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelled in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21And he dwelled in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

The Covenant at Beersheba

22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do: 23Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land wherein you have sojourned. 24And Abraham said, I will swear. 25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. 26And Abimelech said, I know not who has done this thing; neither did you tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. 28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29And Abimelech said to Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves? 30And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shall you take of my hand, that they may be a witness to me, that I have dig this well. 31Why he called that place Beersheba; because there they swore both of them. 32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. 34And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.