Genesis 16; Genesis 17; Matthew 5:27-48

1 Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar.

2 Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the Lord has not allowed me to have children, so have sexual relations with my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can have my own family through her." Abram did what Sarai said.

3 It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)

4 Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai badly.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is your fault. I gave my slave girl to you, and when she became pregnant, she began to treat me badly. Let the Lord decide who is right -- you or me."

6 But Abram said to Sarai, "You are Hagar's mistress. Do anything you want to her." Then Sarai was hard on Hagar, and Hagar ran away.

7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the desert, by the road to Shur.

8 The angel said, "Hagar, Sarai's slave girl, where have you come from? Where are you going?" Hagar answered, "I am running away from my mistress Sarai."

9 The angel of the Lord said to her, "Go home to your mistress and obey her."

10 The angel also said, "I will give you so many descendants they cannot be counted."

11 The angel added, "You are now pregnant, and you will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your cries.

12 Ishmael will be like a wild donkey. He will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. He will attack all his brothers."

13 The slave girl gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are 'God who sees me,'" because she said to herself, "Have I really seen God who sees me?"

14 So the well there, between Kadesh and Bered, was called Beer Lahai Roi.

15 Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named him Ishmael.

16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right.

2 I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people."

3 Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him,

4 "I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations.

5 I am changing your name from Abramn to Abrahamnbecause I am making you a father of many nations.

6 I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you.

7 And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.

8 You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants."

9 Then God said to Abraham, "You and your descendants must keep this agreement from now on.

10 This is my agreement with you and all your descendants, which you must obey: Every male among you must be circumcised.

11 Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you.

12 From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave, who is not one of your descendants.

13 Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever.

14 Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my agreement."

15 God said to Abraham, "I will change the name of Sarai, your wife, to Sarah.

16 I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her."

17 Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?"

18 Then Abraham said to God, "Please let Ishmael be the son you promised."

19 God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.

20 "As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year."

22 After God finished talking with Abraham, God rose and left him.

23 Then Abraham gathered Ishmael, all the males born in his camp, and the slaves he had bought. So that day Abraham circumcised every man and boy in his camp as God had told him to do.

24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.

25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.

26 Abraham and his son were circumcised on the same day.

27 Also on that day all the men in Abraham's camp were circumcised, including all those born in his camp and all the slaves he had bought from other nations.

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You must not be guilty of adultery.'

28 But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, in his mind he has already done that sin with the woman.

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

31 "It was also said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper.'

32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife forces her to be guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if she has sexual relations with another man. And anyone who marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

33 "You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, 'Don't break your promises, but keep the promises you make to the Lord.'

34 But I tell you, never swear an oath. Don't swear an oath using the name of heaven, because heaven is God's throne.

35 Don't swear an oath using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to God. Don't swear an oath using the name of Jerusalem, because that is the city of the great King.

36 Don't even swear by your own head, because you cannot make one hair on your head become white or black.

37 Say only yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no. If you say more than yes or no, it is from the Evil One.

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

39 But I tell you, don't stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also.

40 If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles.

42 If a person asks you for something, give it to him. Don't refuse to give to someone who wants to borrow from you.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighborn and hate your enemies.'

44 But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.

45 If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong.

46 If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that.

47 And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends.

48 So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.