Genesis 16
Open in the reader1Now Exalted-Father’s wife My-Princess had borne him no children, but she had an Two-Straits-One maidservant named Hagar.
2So My-Princess said to Exalted-Father, “Look now, He-Who-Is has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Exalted-Father listened to the voice of My-Princess.
3So after he had lived in Humbled for ten years, his wife My-Princess took her Two-Straits-One maidservant Hagar and gave her to Exalted-Father to be his wife.
4And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
5Then My-Princess said to Exalted-Father, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May He-Who-Is judge between you and me.”
6“Here,” said Exalted-Father, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then My-Princess treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.
7Now the messenger of He-Who-Is found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Wall.
8“Hagar, servant of My-Princess,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress My-Princess,” she replied.
9So the messenger of He-Who-Is told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”
10Then the messenger added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”
11The messenger of He-Who-Is proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him God-Hears, for He-Who-Is has heard your cry of affliction.
12He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
13So Hagar gave this name to He-Who-Is who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”
14Therefore the well was called Well-of-the-Living-One-Who-Sees-Me. It is located between Devoted-Place and Hail.
15And Hagar bore Exalted-Father a son, and Exalted-Father gave the name God-Hears to the son she had borne.
16Exalted-Father was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore God-Hears to him.