Genesis Chapter 16
Hagar flees into the wilderness and meets the angel of the LORD by a well.
Still childless after the covenant promise of Genesis 15, Sarai gives her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to Abram so she might have children through her, but once Hagar conceives, tension between the two women grows so sharp that Hagar flees into the wilderness. There, the angel of the LORD finds her by a fountain of water and tells her to return and submit to Sarai.
Therfor Sarai, wijf of Abram, hadde not gendrid fre children; but sche hadde a seruauntesse of Egipt, Agar bi name, and seide to hir hosebonde, Lo!
the Lord hath closid me, that Y schulde not bere child; entre thou to my seruauntesse, if in hap Y schal take children, nameli of hir. And whanne he assentide to hir preiynge, sche took Agar Egipcian,
hir seruauntesse, after ten yeer aftir that thei begunne to enhabite in the lond of Chanaan, and sche yaf Agar wiif to hir hosebonde.
And Abram entride to Agar; and Agar seiy that sche hadde conseyued, and sche dispiside hir ladi.
And Saray seide to Abram, Thou doist wickidli ayens me; I yaf my seruauntesse in to thi bosum, which seeth, that sche conseyuede, and dispisith me; the Lord deme betwixe me and thee.
And Abram answerde and seide to hir, Lo! thi seruauntesse is in thin hond; vse thou hir as `it likith. Therfor for Sarai turmentide hir, sche fledde awei.
And whanne the aungel of the Lord hadde founde hir bisidis a welle of watir in wildernesse, which welle is in the weie of Sur in deseert,
he seide to hir, Fro whennus comest thou Agar, the seruauntesse of Sarai, and whidur goist thou? Which answerde, Y fle fro the face of Sarai my ladi.
And the aungel of the Lord seide to hir, Turne thou ayen to thi ladi, and be thou mekid vndur hir hondis.
And eft he seide, Y multipliynge schal multiplie thi seed, and it schal not be noumbrid for multitude.
And aftirward he seide, Lo! thou hast conseyued, and thou schalt bere a sone, and thou schalt clepe his name Ismael, for the Lord hath herd thi turment;
this schal be a wielde man; his hond schal be ayens alle men, and the hondis of alle men schulen be ayens him; and he schal sette tabernaclis euene ayens alle his britheren.
Forsothe Agar clepide the name of the Lord that spak to hir, Thou God that seiyest me; for sche seide, Forsothe here Y seiy the hynderere thingis of him that siy me.
Therfor sche clepide thilke pit, the pit of hym that lyueth and seeth me; thilk pit is bitwixe Cades and Barad.
And Agar childide a sone to Abram, which clepide his name Ismael.
Abram was of `eiyti yeere and sixe, whanne Agar childide Ysmael to hym.