1 Yahweh kept his word to Sarah and he was kind to her. 2 She became pregnant and then she gave birth to a son for Abraham, even though he was already an old man. So the words God spoke to Abraham about Isaac being born became true.

3-5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son was born and he called him Isaac. When the baby was eight days old, his father circumcised him, because God had told him to do this.

6 The baby's mother said, “I feel wonderful, because God has blessed me and made me laugh. So when people hear that I have a baby boy, they will laugh with me. 7 No one ever said to my husband, ‘Your wife will nurse her own baby,’ but now I have given birth to a baby boy for an old man.”

8 The child grew and he learnt to eat food. Then Abraham said, “Now my son can eat food, so I will ask many people to eat here with me.” So Abraham and his people met together for a feast.

9 One day Sarah's son Isaac was playing with Ishmael. Ishmael's mother was Hagar, the Egyptian woman who worked for Sarah. While they were playing together Sarah saw Ishmael teasing Isaac.

10 She said to her husband, “Send this servant girl away with her son, make them both go away from here. This woman's son mustn't take even one of your things when you die. My son must get all your things.”

11 When Abraham heard this, he was very upset, because Ishmael was also his son.

12 But God said to him, “Don't be upset about the boy and your servant Hagar. Isaac will be the ancestor of those people I told you about. So you can do what Sarah told you and send Hagar and Ishmael away. 13 But I will also give many children to Hagar's son, so that his children will become many and they also will become a nation. He too is your son.”

14 The next morning Abraham got up and gave Hagar food and water. In that country people used to take a bullock's skin and sew it like a bag for water. So she carried water in a bullock's skin on her shoulder for them to drink on the way. Then Abraham sent Ishmael off with his mother and they went away. The old man sent them both right away from there.

They went on and on until they reached a desert place called Beersheba, and they wandered about there. 15 They kept on walking and drinking the water they had brought, and then after a while the water was finished.

The boy lay down in a little bit of shade and his mother left him there 16 and went and sat down a short distance away and cried and cried. She said, “I don't want to see my son die.” The boy also began to cry.

17 God heard him crying, and God's angel spoke from heaven to his mother. He said, “Why are you upset? Don't be afraid. God has heard your son crying. 18 Get up, go and take him by the hand and pick him up. Comfort him and stop him crying. Later when he grows up I will give him many children and many descendants and they will become a great nation.”

19 God opened the woman's eyes and she looked around and saw a waterhole. She went and filled the bullock's skin and gave her son a drink of water, and he drank.

20 God was with the boy Ishmael. While he grew up God was still close to him. He went to a place called Paran that was also a desert. He was good at hunting birds and animals. 21 After some time his mother found an Egyptian girl to be his wife, and he married her.

22 One day Abimelech, king of Gerar, went to Abraham with Phicol, the officer in charge of his army. Abimelech said to Abraham, “God is with you all the time. 23 So I want us to be friends. Promise me that you won't trick me, my children or my descendants. Tell me now so that God will hear you, and do not change it. I have been good to you, so tell me that you will be good to me and to the people in this country where you are living now.”

24 Abraham agreed and said, “Yes. That is good, and so you and I will always be friends from today.” 25 Then Abraham also said to Abimelech, “Some of your servants have taken a waterhole of mine.”

26 Abimelech said, “I didn't know that. You didn't tell me about it, and this is the first time I have heard of it. Who could have taken it?” 27 Then Abraham gave some sheep and cattle to Abimelech, and in that way they made their agreement. 28 Then Abraham also took seven of his lambs. 29 “Why did you do that?” asked Abimelech.

30 Abraham answered, “Take these seven lambs for yourself. If you take them, then later you can say, ‘Abraham is the one who dug this well.’ ” So Abimelech took the seven lambs, 31 and the place was called Beersheba, because the two men made their agreement at the well. The name Beersheba means “the well where they promised.”

32 Then Abimelech and Phicol went back home to Philistia. 33 But Abraham stayed at Beersheba for a little while and planted a tree there. It was called a tamarisk tree. Then he worshipped Yahweh, the God who lives forever. 34 After he had planted the tree and worshipped Yahweh, Abraham left Beersheba and he too went to Philistia, and he lived there for a long time.