16:1
וְשָׂרַי֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת אַבְרָ֔ם
Now Sarai, Avram’s wife,
לֹ֥א יָלְדָ֖ה ל֑וֹ
she had not borne for him;
וְלָ֛הּ שִׁפְחָ֥ה מִצְרִ֖ית וּשְׁמָ֥הּ הָגָֽר׃
But belonging to her is an Egyptian maid,
and her name is Hagar (the sojourner).
16:2
וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֜י אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם
And Sarai said to Avram,
הִנֵּה־נָ֞א עֲצָרַ֤נִי יְהוָה֙ מִלֶּ֔דֶת
“See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing,
בֹּא־נָא֙ אֶל־שִׁפְחָתִ֔י אוּלַ֥י אִבָּנֶ֖ה מִמֶּ֑נָּה
Approach, I pray thee, my maid;
Perhaps I can build myself a family from off of her.”
וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָ֖ם לְק֥וֹל שָׂרָֽי׃
And Avram listened to the voice of Sarai.
16:3
וַתִּקַּ֞ח שָׂרַ֣י אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָ֗ם
And Sarai the wife of Avram took
אֶת־הָגָ֤ר הַמִּצְרִית֙ שִׁפְחָתָ֔הּ
Hagar the Egyptian, her maid,
מִקֵּץ֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר שָׁנִ֔ים
(after ten years,
לְשֶׁ֥בֶת אַבְרָ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן
of Avram dwelling in the land of Canaan);
וַתִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛הּ לְאַבְרָ֥ם אִישָׁ֖הּ ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃
And she gave her to Avram her husband,
to him for a wife.
16:4
וַיָּבֹ֥א אֶל־הָגָ֖ר וַתַּ֑הַר
And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived;
וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה
When she realized that she had become pregnant,
וַתֵּקַ֥ל גְּבִרְתָּ֖הּ בְּעֵינֶֽיהָ׃
Then her Mistress was despised in her eyes;
16:5
וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֣י אֶל־אַבְרָם֮ חֲמָסִ֣י עָלֶיךָ֒
And Sarai said to Avram, “My wrong → Upon you!”
אָנֹכִ֗י נָתַ֤תִּי שִׁפְחָתִי֙ בְּחֵיקֶ֔ךָ
“I, I had granted my maid into your intimate embrace,
וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וָאֵקַ֖ל בְּעֵינֶ֑יהָ
and when she realized that she had become pregnant,
then I was despised in her eyes!”
יִשְׁפֹּ֥ט יְהוָ֖ה בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵינֶֽיׄךָ׃
“May Jehovah judge,
between me and between yous!!”.
16:6
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָ֜ם אֶל־שָׂרַ֗י
And Avram said to Sarai,
הִנֵּ֤ה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ֙ בְּיָדֵ֔ךְ
“There is your maid, in your power:
עֲשִׂי־לָ֖הּ הַטּ֣וֹב בְּעֵינָ֑יִךְ
Do to her what is good in your eyes.”
וַתְּעַנֶּ֣הָ שָׂרַ֔י וַתִּבְרַ֖ח מִפָּנֶֽיהָ׃
Then Sarai mistreated her, and she fled from her presence.
16:7
וַֽיִּמְצָאָ֞הּ מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה
Now the Messenger of Jehovah, He found her,
עַל־עֵ֥ין הַמַּ֖יִם בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר
at the spring of water, in the desert;
עַל־הָעַ֖יִן בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ שֽׁוּר׃
At that spring on Shur Road (towards Egypt).
16:8
וַיֹּאמַ֗ר הָגָ֞ר שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרַ֛י
And He said:
“Hagar, maid of Sarai,
אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֥ה בָ֖את וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֑כִי
From where did you come, and where will you go!?”
וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִפְּנֵי֙ שָׂרַ֣י גְּבִרְתִּ֔י
And she said,
“From the presence of Sarai my Mistress,
אָנֹכִ֖י בֹּרַֽחַת׃
I am fleeing.”
16:9
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה
Then the Messenger of Jehovah said to her,
שׁ֖וּבִי אֶל־גְּבִרְתֵּ֑ךְ
“Return to your Mistress,
וְהִתְעַנִּ֖י תַּ֥חַת יָדֶֽיהָ׃
And submit yourself under her hand.”
16:10
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה
And the Messenger of Jehovah said to her,
הַרְבָּ֥ה אַרְבֶּ֖ה אֶת־זַרְעֵ֑ךְ
“I will vastly increase your seed,
וְלֹ֥א יִסָּפֵ֖ר מֵרֹֽב׃
So that it cannot be counted on account of greatness.”
16:11
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה
Moreover, the Messenger of Jehovah said to her,
הִנָּ֥ךְ הָרָ֖ה וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּ בֵּ֑ן
“See, you are pregnant,
and going to give birth to a son;
וְקָרָ֤את שְׁמוֹ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל
And you shall call his name ‘Yishma’El’ (God hears),
כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־עָנְיֵֽךְ׃
Because Jehovah has paid attention to your affliction.”
16:12
וְה֤וּא יִהְיֶה֙ פֶּ֣רֶא אָדָ֔ם
“And he shall become a wild-ass-chieftan man,
יָד֣וֹ בַכֹּ֔ל וְיַ֥ד כֹּ֖ל בּ֑וֹ
his hand against all, and everyone’s hand against him;
וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־אֶחָ֖יו יִשְׁכֹּֽן׃ ס
And he shall dwell in the sight of all his kinsmen.”
16:13
וַתִּקְרָ֤א שֵׁם־יְהוָה֙ הַדֹּבֵ֣ר אֵלֶ֔יהָ
Then she proclaimed the Name of Jehovah,
the One who spoke to her,
אַתָּ֖ה אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י
“You Are the Seeing God!”;
כִּ֣י אֽ͏ָמְרָ֗ה הֲגַ֥ם הֲלֹ֛ם רָאִ֖יתִי אַחֲרֵ֥י רֹאִֽי׃
For she had said, “Right here, have I not had
a glimpse of the One who Sees!”
16:14
עַל־כֵּן֙ קָרָ֣א לַבְּאֵ֔ר
Therefore, he had named the well
בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִ֑י
Be’er LaChai Ro’i
(The Well of the Living One — Who Sees)
(The Well of the Living One
Who Sees the Total Picture,
Who Makes Provision);
הִנֵּ֥ה בֵין־קָדֵ֖שׁ וּבֵ֥ין בָּֽרֶד׃
Behold, it is located between Kadesh and between Bered.
16:15
וַתֵּ֧לֶד הָגָ֛ר לְאַבְרָ֖ם בֵּ֑ן
And Hagar bore Avram a son,
וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָ֧ם שֶׁם־בְּנ֛וֹ
And Avram called the name of his son,
אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָ֥ה הָגָ֖ר יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל׃
he whom Hagar had borne, Ishmael (God hears);
16:16
וְאַבְרָ֕ם בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֵׁ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֑ים
And Avram is a son of eighty six years,
בְּלֶֽדֶת־הָגָ֥ר אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל לְאַבְרָֽם׃ ס
When Hagar is bearing Ishmael to Avram.
Website translation into English by Eddie Van Gent,
together with his wife, Maraea Van Gent (Masters of Humanities in Social Sciences, Majoring in Education)
The Hebrew Masoretic Text is Unicode/XML version 1.3 Leningrad Codex,
Build 26.4 from tanach.us
Audio excerpts from
Tanakh audio recording by Rabbi Dan Be’eri
Chapter16 Hebrew Audio
Dramatized Modern Hebrew Audio Version, Genesis 16
Copyright to Hebrew Audio of Old Testament
℗ 2014 Bible Society in Israel and Hosanna
Distributed by and Available from The Bible Society In Israel
This Hebrew Dramatized Audio was produced with the assistance of
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