"Bedtime Bible Stories"

Book of Genesis Chapter 21,
Verses 1-21

 God always keeps His promises. He, had promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son named Isaac, even though they were very, very old.
 About a year after the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had been destroyed, Sarah had her baby boy. She did exactly as the Lord had instructed her and named him Isaac. Eight days before Isaac was born, Hagar, the servant who had met the angel by the spring, also had a baby boy. She named him Ishmael. He was also Abraham's son.
 As the two half brothers grew older, they began to fight and argue, just as brothers almost always do. Ishmael was older and stronger than his brother and was always teasing Isaac. This made Sarah, Isaac's mother very angry. She pleaded with her husband Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away.
 This made Abraham very sad, because he loved both boys. He prayed to God and asked Him what he should do. God answered, saying, "Don't worry about Isaac. Do as your wife says and send him and his mother away. I will keep my promise to you and Isaac will become the leader of a great nation."
 So Abraham gave Hagar some water and sent her and Ishmael out into the desert. She wandered there for a long time until she ran out of water. Ishmael became very thirsty, so thirsty that he looked as if he was going to die. Hagar began to cry when all of a sudden another angel appeared to her.
 "Hagar," the angel asked, "Why are you crying? Don't be afraid. God has promised Abraham that He would make your son the leader of a great nation." Hagar wiped her eyes. Right in front of her was a spring of water. She gave Ishmael a drink and he was no longer thirsty.
 For many years Ishmael and his mother lived in the desert in a land called Paran. Ishmael learned to use a bow and arrow to hunt. He became an expert archer. His mother arranged a marriage for him to a girl from the land of Egypt.
 Ishmael and his wife had many children. Then their children had children. The people descended from all of Ishmael's children became the people we know today as the Arabs. Isaac's children's children became the people we know today as the Jews.