Genesis 21:1-21

Genesis 21:1

וֽ͏ַיהוָ֛ה  פָּקַ֥ד אֶת־שָׂרָ֖ה   כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמָ֑ר

Now the LORD had paid attention to Sarah,
According to that which He had said,

וַיַּ֧עַשׂ יְהוָ֛ה  לְשָׂרָ֖ה   כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֵּֽר׃

And so the LORD did for Sarah, Just as He had spoken.

Genesis 21:2

וַתַּהַר֩ וַתֵּ֨לֶד שָׂרָ֧ה  לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם  בֵּ֖ן 

And Sarah became pregnant and bore Avraham a son,

לִזְקֻנָ֑יו

in his old age;

לַמּוֹעֵ֕ד

At the appointed time,

 אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ   אֱלֹהִֽים׃

of which God had spoken about with him;

Genesis 21:3

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם 

And Avraham called

אֶֽת־שֶׁם־בְּנ֧וֹ הַנּֽוֹלַד־ל֛וֹ  אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה־לּ֥וֹ שָׂרָ֖ה  

the name of his son having been begotten to him
whom Sarah had borne to him,

יִצְחָֽק׃

“Yitzchak” (He/he will laugh).

Genesis 21:4-5

וַיָּ֤מָל אַבְרָהָם֙  אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ

And Avraham circumcised Yitzchak his son, 

בֶּן־שְׁמֹנַ֖ת   יָמִ֑ים

a son of eight days;

כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר  צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ   אֱלֹהִֽים׃

According as God had left instruction with him;

וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם  בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה

And Avraham was a son of one hundred years,

בְּהִוָּ֣לֶד ל֔וֹ   אֵ֖ת   יִצְחָ֥ק בְּנֽוֹ׃

On Yitzchak his son being begotten to him;

Genesis 21:6

וַתֹּ֣אמֶר שָׂרָ֔ה   צְחֹ֕ק   עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י   אֱלֹהִ֑ים

And Sarah said:
“God has created laughter for me;

כָּל־הַשֹּׁמֵ֖עַ    יִֽצְחַק־לִֽי׃

Everyone who is listening,
will laugh with me!” 

Genesis 21:7

וַתֹּ֗אמֶר מִ֤י מִלֵּל֙   לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם

Then she said:
“Who would have announced concerning Avraham: 

הֵינִ֥יקָה בָנִ֖ים   שָׂרָ֑ה

‘Sarah has suckled children’;—

כִּֽי־יָלַ֥דְתִּי בֵ֖ן   לִזְקֻנָֽיו׃

That I bore a son, in his old age!”

Genesis 21:8

וַיִּגְדַּ֥ל הַיֶּ֖לֶד    וַיִּגָּמַ֑ל

Now the child grew and was weaned,

וַיַּ֤עַשׂ אַבְרָהָם֙  מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה גָד֔וֹל

And Avraham made a great banquet

בְּי֖וֹם   הִגָּמֵ֥ל אֶת־יִצְחָֽק׃ ס

On the day of the weaning of Yitzchak.

Genesis 21:9

וַתֵּ֨רֶא שָׂרָ֜ה  אֶֽת־בֶּן־הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית

But Sarah observed the son of Hagar the Egyptian

אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָ֥ה לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם   מְצַחֵֽק׃

whom she had borne to Abraham,— mocking.

Genesis 21:10

וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙  לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם

And she said to Avraham,

גָּרֵ֛שׁ  הָאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את   וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ

“Drive out this bonded-slavewoman, and her son; 

כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִירַשׁ֙  בֶּן־הָאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את

For he shall not become heir—
—that son of this bonded-slavewoman—

עִם־בְּנִ֖י   עִם־יִצְחָֽק׃

Alongside my son, with Yitzchak.”

Genesis 21:11

וַיֵּ֧רַע הַדָּבָ֛ר  מְאֹ֖ד   בְּעֵינֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם

But that request was bad—extremely,
in the eyes of Avraham, 

עַ֖ל   אוֹדֹ֥ת בְּנֽוֹ׃

On account of his son.

Genesis 21:12

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים  אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֗ם

But God said to Avraham: 

אַל־יֵרַ֤ע בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙  עַל־הַנַּ֣עַר וְעַל־אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ

“Let it not be bad in your eyes
concerning the young man and your bondwoman, 

כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאמַ֥ר  אֵלֶ֛יךָ   שָׂרָ֖ה    שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלָ֑הּ

Whatsoever Sarah says to you, hear her utterance; 
כִּ֣י בְיִצְחָ֔ק   יִקָּרֵ֥א לְךָ֖    זָֽרַע׃

Because through Yitzchak shall Seed be proclaimed by you!”

Genesis 21:13

וְגַ֥ם אֶת־בֶּן־הָאָמָ֖ה   לְג֣וֹי אֲשִׂימֶ֑נּוּ

“Even so the son of the bondwoman
I shall make into a nation,

כִּ֥י זַרְעֲךָ֖   הֽוּא׃

For he is your seed.”

Genesis 21:14

וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֣ם אַבְרָהָ֣ם ׀ בַּבֹּ֡קֶר

And so Avraham rose early in the morning, 

וַיִּֽקַּֽח־לֶחֶם֩ וְחֵ֨מַת מַ֜יִם

And he fetched bread and a skin of water

וַיִּתֵּ֣ן אֶל־הָ֠גָר שָׂ֧ם עַל־שִׁכְמָ֛הּ  וְאֶת־הַיֶ֖לֶד

and gave this to Hagar by placement on her shoulder and the child,

 וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֶ֑הָ

then he sent her away;

וַתֵּ֣לֶךְ וַתֵּ֔תַע   בְּמִדְבַּ֖ר   בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃

And she departed and staggered about
in the Wilderness of Be’er Sheva.

Genesis 21:15

וַיִּכְל֥וּ הַמַּ֖יִם   מִן־הַחֵ֑מֶת

And when the water was used up from the skin,

וַתַּשְׁלֵ֣ךְ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד   תַּ֖חַת   אַחַ֥ד הַשִּׂיחִֽם׃

Then she off-loaded the child under one of the bushes.

Genesis 21:16

וַתֵּלֶךְ֩ וַתֵּ֨שֶׁב לָ֜הּ מִנֶּ֗גֶד

And she went and sat by herself opposite,

הַרְחֵק֙  כִּמְטַחֲוֵ֣י קֶ֔שֶׁת

separating herself by about a bow shooter’s range,

כִּ֣י אֽ͏ָמְרָ֔ה   אַל־אֶרְאֶ֖ה   בְּמ֣וֹת הַיָּ֑לֶד

For she thought,
“Let me not look on the death of the child.”

וַתֵּ֣שֶׁב מִנֶּ֔גֶד  וַתִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־קֹלָ֖הּ   וַתֵּֽבְךְּ׃

And while she sat opposite,
then she lifted her voice,
and she wept.

Genesis 21:17

וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אֱלֹהִים֮ אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַנַּעַר֒ 

And God gave heed to the voice of the lad,

וַיִּקְרָא֩ מַלְאַ֨ךְ אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶל־הָגָר֙  מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם

And the Angel of God called to Hagar from Heaven, 

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר לָ֖הּ   מַה־לָּ֣ךְ הָגָ֑ר

And He said to her, “What is it with you Hagar?!”

אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י   כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֧ע אֱלֹהִ֛ים  אֶל־ק֥וֹל הַנַּ֖עַר

“Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad, 

בַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הוּא־שָֽׁם׃

There where he is;”

Genesis 21:18

ק֚וּמִי  שְׂאִ֣י אֶת־הַנַּ֔עַר  וְהַחֲזִ֥יקִי אֶת־יָדֵ֖ךְ   בּ֑וֹ

“Arise, raise up the lad,
and strengthen your hand with him; 

כִּֽי־לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל   אֲשִׂימֶֽנּוּ׃

For I will make him into a great nation!” 

Genesis 21:19

וַיִּפְקַ֤ח אֱלֹהִים֙  אֶת־עֵינֶ֔יהָ  וַתֵּ֖רֶא   בְּאֵ֣ר מָ֑יִם

Then God opened her eyes, 
and she noticed a well of water;

וַתֵּ֜לֶךְ  וַתְּמַלֵּ֤א אֶת־הַחֵ֙מֶת֙  מַ֔יִם

Then she went and filled the water skin, 

וַתַּ֖שְׁקְ   אֶת־הַנָּֽעַר׃

and she made the lad drink.

Genesis 21:20

וַיְהִ֧י אֱלֹהִ֛ים  אֶת־הַנַּ֖עַר   וַיִּגְדָּ֑ל

And so God was with the youth,
and he grew up;

וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙  בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר   וַיְהִ֖י   רֹבֶ֥ה קַשָּֽׁת׃

And he dwelt in the wilderness,
and he became an archer. 

Genesis 21:21

וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב   בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר פָּארָ֑ן

Then he settled in the Wilderness of Paran,

וַתִּֽקַּֽח־ל֥וֹ אִמּ֛וֹ  אִשָּׁ֖ה   מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ פ

And his mother fetched a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

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Website translation into English by E.G. Van Gent

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The Hebrew Masoretic Text is Unicode/XML version 1.3 Leningrad Codex,
Build 26.4 from tanach.us

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Audio excerpt Genesis 21:1-21 from
Tanakh audio recording by Rabbi Dan Be’eri

Creative Commons License

With insertions in verses 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 from the
Dramatized Modern Hebrew Audio Version
Copyright to Hebrew Audio of Old Testament
℗ 2014 Bible Society in Israel and Hosanna
Distributed by and Available from The Bible Society In Israel
(verse 21 audio insert by EG Van Gent)

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