Genesis 21 Young's Literal Translation

About YLT

Individual translator
OT: Masoretic Hebrew
NT: Textus Receptus
Protestant (66 books)
Very literal
1898
Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

YLT Young's Literal Translation

WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)

1 And Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken;

1 Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken.

2 and Sarah conceiveth, and beareth a son to Abraham, to his old age, at the appointed time that God hath spoken of with him;

2 Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3 and Abraham calleth the name of his son who is born to him, whom Sarah hath born to him — Isaac;

3 Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

4 and Abraham circumciseth Isaac his son, [being] a son of eight days, as God hath commanded him.

4 Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 And Abraham [is] a son of a hundred years in Isaac his son being born to him,

5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him.

6 and Sarah saith, 'God hath made laughter for me; every one who is hearing laugheth for me.'

6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

7 She saith also, 'Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?'

7 She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

8 And the lad groweth, and is weaned, and Abraham maketh a great banquet in the day of Isaac's being weaned;

8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

9 and Sarah seeth the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she hath borne to Abraham, mocking,

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

10 and she saith to Abraham, 'Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid hath no possession with my son — with Isaac.'

10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this servant and her son! For the son of this servant will not be heir with my son, Isaac.”

11 And the thing is very wrong in the eyes of Abraham, for his son's sake;

11 The thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son.

12 and God saith unto Abraham, 'Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee — hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee.

12 God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your servant. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be named through Isaac.

13 As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he [is] thy seed.'

13 I will also make a nation of the son of the servant, because he is your child.”

14 And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and taketh bread, and a bottle of water, and giveth unto Hagar (placing [it] on her shoulder), also the lad, and sendeth her out; and she goeth on, and goeth astray in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba;

14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a container of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 and the water is consumed from the bottle, and she placeth the lad under one of the shrubs.

15 The water in the container was spent, and she put the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.

16 She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, 'What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he [is];

17 God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

18 rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.'

18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him with your hand. For I will make him a great nation.”

19 And God openeth her eyes, and she seeth a well of water, and she goeth and filleth the bottle [with] water, and causeth the youth to drink;

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

20 and God is with the youth, and he groweth, and dwelleth in the wilderness, and is an archer;

20 God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and as he grew up, he became an archer.

21 and he dwelleth in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother taketh for him a wife from the land of Egypt.

21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

22 And it cometh to pass at that time that Abimelech speaketh — Phichol also, head of his host — unto Abraham, saying, 'God [is] with thee in all that thou art doing;

22 At that time, Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.

23 and now, swear to me by God here: thou dost not lie to me, or to my continuator, or to my successor; according to the kindness which I have done with thee thou dost with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.'

23 Now, 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 in which you have lived as a foreigner.”

24 And Abraham saith, 'I — I do swear.'

24 Abraham said, “I will swear.”

25 And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away,

25 Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.

26 and Abimelech saith, 'I have not known who hath done this thing, and even thou didst not declare to me, and I also, I have not heard save to-day.'

26 Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this thing. You didn’t tell me, and I didn’t hear of it until today.”

27 And Abraham taketh sheep and oxen, and giveth to Abimelech, and they make, both of them, a covenant;

27 Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.

28 and Abraham setteth seven Lambs of the flock by themselves.

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

29 And Abimelech saith unto Abraham, 'What [are] they — these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?'

29 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs, which you have set by themselves, mean?”

30 And he saith, 'For — the seven lambs thou dost accept from my hand, so that it becometh a witness for me that I have digged this well;'

30 He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.”

31 therefore hath he called that place 'Beer-Sheba,' for there have both of them sworn.

31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore an oath there.

32 And they make a covenant in Beer-Sheba, and Abimelech riseth — Phichol also, head of his host — and they turn back unto the land of the Philistines;

32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

33 and [Abraham] planteth a tamarisk in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during;

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.

34 and Abraham sojourneth in the land of the Philistines many days.

34 Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.

People & places in this chapter

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Abimelech
King of Gerar
King of Gerar who took Sarah, was warned by God in a dream and returned her to Abraham, and made a covenant with Abraham at Beersheba; an Abimelech king of the Philistines at…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 20:2–3; Genesis 21:22–27; Genesis 26:1
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Abraham
Father of nations
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
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Hagar
Servant, mother of Ishmael
Sarah's Egyptian servant who bore Ishmael and met God in the wilderness.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 16, 21
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Isaac
Child of promise
The long-promised son, nearly offered on Moriah, through whom the covenant continued.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21–27
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Sarah
Matriarch, mother of Isaac
Wife of Abraham who bore Isaac in her old age, long after hope seemed gone.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 17-21
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Cross references (33)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

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“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

Quotes verse 21:6 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVI, Chapters 29–32)
For when Isaac was born and called by that name, Sarah showed that her laughter was not that of scornful reproach, but that of joyful praise; for she said, "God hath made me to laugh, so that every one who hears will laugh with me." Then in a little while the bond maid was cast out of the house with …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Quotes verse 21:12 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture V)
And when, after he had gained his son, he was commanded to offer him up, although he had heard the word, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, he proceeded to offer up his son, his only son, to God, believing that God is able to raise up even from the dead.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Quotes verse 21:12 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVI, Chapters 29–32)
… by casting out the bond maid and her son, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." No doubt He then goes on to say, "And as for the son of this bond woman, I will make him a great nation, because he is thy seed." How then is it said "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," when God calls …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Quotes verse 21:12 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVI, Chapters 37–38)
For when it is said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," by this seed is meant solely the city of God; so that from it is separated Abraham's other seed, which was in the son of the bond woman, and which was to be in the sons of Keturah.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

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