The Holy Bible Genesis 16. 1-16 by Robert Alter Lyrics

Now Sarai Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an 1 Egyptian slavegirl named Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, 2 pray, the LORD has kept me from bearing children. Pray, come to bed with my slavegirl. Perhaps I shall be built up through her.” And 3 Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian her slavegirl after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land 4 of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he came to bed with Hagar and she conceived and she saw that she had 5 conceived and her mistress seemed slight in her eyes. And Sarai said to Abram, “This outrage against me is because of you! I myself put my slavegirl in your embrace and when she saw she had conceived, I became slight in her eyes. Let the LORD judge between you and me!” 6 And Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slavegirl is in your hands. Do to her whatever you think right.” And Sarai harassed her and she fled from 7 her. And the LORD’s messenger found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, 8 slavegirl of Sarai! Where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “From Sarai my mistress I am fleeing.” And the 9 LORD’s messenger said to her, “Return to your mistress and suffer abuse at her hand.” And the LORD’s messenger said to her, “I will surely multiply 10 your seed and it will be beyond all counting.” And the LORD’s messenger 11 said to her: “Look, you have conceived and will bear a son and you will call his name Ishmael. for the LORD has heeded your suffering. 12 And he will be a wild ass of a man— his hand against all, the hand of all against him, he will encamp in despite of all his kin.” 13 And she called the name of the LORD who had addressed her, “El-Roi,” 14 for she said, “Did not I go on seeing here after He saw me?” Therefore is the well called Beer-Lahai-Roi, which is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram called his son whom Hagar 16 had born Ishmael. And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.