17. God heard the boy’s voice, and God’s angel called to Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear; God has heard the boy’s voice in this plight of his.
18. Get up, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand; for I will make of him a great nation.”
19. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink.
20. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert bowman.
21. He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22. At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham: “God is with you in everything you do.
23. So now, swear to me by God at this place that you will not deal falsely with me or with my progeny and posterity, but will act as loyally toward me and the land in which you reside as I have acted toward you.”
24. Abraham replied, “I so swear.”
25. Abraham, however, reproached Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized by force.
26. “I have no idea who did that,” Abimelech replied. “In fact, you never told me about it, nor did I ever hear of it until now.”
27. Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech and the two made a covenant.
28. Abraham also set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock,
29. and Abimelech asked him, “What is the purpose of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?”
30. Abraham answered, “The seven ewe lambs you shall accept from me that you may be my witness that I dug this well.”