The Bible

 

Genesis 21

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1 And the Lord came to Sarah as he had said and did to her as he had undertaken.

2 And Sarah became with child, and gave Abraham a son when he was old, at the time named by God.

3 And Abraham gave to his son, to whom Sarah had given birth, the name Isaac.

4 And when his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham made him undergo circumcision, as God had said to him.

5 Now Abraham was a hundred years old when the birth of Isaac took place.

6 And Sarah said, God has given me cause for laughing, and everyone who has news of it will be laughing with me.

7 And she said, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would have a child at her breast? for see, I have given him a son now when he is old.

8 And when the child was old enough to be taken from the breast, Abraham made a great feast.

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with Isaac.

10 So she said to Abraham, Send away that woman and her son: for the son of that woman is not to have a part in the heritage with my son Isaac.

11 And this was a great grief to Abraham because of his son.

12 But God said, Let it not be a grief to you because of the boy and Hagar his mother; give ear to whatever Sarah says to you, because it is from Isaac that your seed will take its name.

13 And I will make a nation of the son of your servant-woman, because he is your seed.

14 And early in the morning Abraham got up, and gave Hagar some bread and a water-skin, and put the boy on her back, and sent her away: and she went, wandering in the waste land of Beer-sheba.

15 And when all the water in the skin was used up, she put the child down under a tree.

16 And she went some distance away, about an arrow flight, and seating herself on the earth, she gave way to bitter weeping, saying, Let me not see the death of my child.

17 And the boy's cry came to the ears of God; and the angel of God said to Hagar from heaven, Hagar, why are you weeping? have no fear, for the child's cry has come to the ears of God.

18 Come, take your child in your arms, for I will make of him a great nation.

19 Then God made her eyes open, and she saw a water-spring, and she got water in the skin and gave the boy a drink.

20 And God was with the boy, and he became tall and strong, and he became a bowman, living in the waste land.

21 And while he was in the waste land of Paran, his mother got him a wife from the land of Egypt.

22 Now at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, said to Abraham, I see that God is with you in all you do.

23 Now, then, give me your oath, in the name of God, that you will not be false to me or to my sons after me, but that as I have been good to you, so you will be to me and to this land where you have been living.

24 And Abraham said, I will give you my oath.

25 But Abraham made a protest to Abimelech because of a water-hole which Abimelech's servants had taken by force.

26 But Abimelech said, I have no idea who has done this thing; you never gave me word of it, and I had no knowledge of it till this day.

27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made an agreement together.

28 And Abraham put seven young lambs of the flock on one side by themselves.

29 Then Abimelech said, What are these seven lambs which you have put on one side?

30 And he said, Take these seven lambs from me as a witness that I have made this water-hole.

31 So he gave that place the name Beer-sheba, because there the two of them had given their oaths.

32 So they made an agreement at Beer-sheba, and Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines.

33 And Abraham, after planting a holy tree in Beer-sheba, gave worship to the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.

34 And Abraham went on living in the land of the Philistines as in a strange country.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #2610

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2610. Genesis 21

1. And Jehovah visited Sarah as He had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as He had spoken.

2. And Sarah conceived and bore to Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time, as God had spoken to him.

3. And Abraham called the name of his son born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

4. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, a son eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5. And Abraham was a son a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6. And Sarah said, God has made laughter for me; everyone that hears will laugh for me.

7. And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle sons? For I have born [him] a son in his old age.

8. And the boy grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day when he weaned Isaac.

9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

10. And she said to Abraham, Cast out this servant-girl, and her son; for the son of this servant-girl shall not inherit together with my son, with Isaac.

11. And the matter was deeply distressing to Abraham 1 because of his son.

12. And God said to Abraham, Do not be distressed 2 about the lad and about your servant-girl. Everything which Sarah says to you, hearken to her voice, for in Isaac will your seed be called.

13. And also, the son of the servant-girl I will make into a nation, because he is your seed.

14. And in the morning Abraham rose up early, and took bread and a flask of water, and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulder, and the boy, and sent her away; and she went and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15. And the water from the flask was used up, and she put the boy under one of the shrubs.

16. And she went and sat by herself some distance away, withdrawing herself about a bowshot, for she said, Let me not see the death of the boy. And she sat some distance away and lifted up her voice and wept.

17. And God heard the boy's voice, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said to her, What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the boy's voice where he is.

18. Rise up, lift the boy up, and strengthen your hand in him, for I will make him into a great nation.

19. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the flask with water, and gave the boy a drink.

20. And God was with the boy, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and was an archer.

21. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.

22. And so it was at that time, that Abimelech spoke, and Phicol the general of his army, to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you are doing.

23. And now swear to me here by God that you will not lie to me, and to my son, and to my grandson; according to the kindness which I have done to you, may you do to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.

24. And Abraham said, I will swear.

25. And Abraham reproached Abimelech on account of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized.

26. And Abimelech said, I do not know who has done this thing; and you also did not point it out to me, and I too have not heard about it until today.

27. And Abraham took flocks and herds and gave them to Abimelech; and the two of them made a covenant.

28. And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.

29. And Abimelech said to Abraham, What are these seven ewe-lambs which you have set by themselves?

30. And he said, Because you will take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well.

31. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath.

32. And they made a covenant in Beersheba; and Abimelech rose up and Phicol the general of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

33. And he planted a grove in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of [Jehovah,] the God of Eternity.

34. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

CONTENTS

In the internal sense of this chapter the subject dealt with first is the Lord's Divine Rational, which is represented by Isaac, verses 1-8.

Footnotes:

1. literally, exceedingly evil in Abraham's eyes

2. literally, Let it not be evil in your eyes

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.