This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Genesis 16, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, there was a woman named Sarai who was married to a man named Abram. Sadly, Sarai couldn’t have any children, which made her very sad. So, she had an idea to have a child with her servant, Hagar, who was from Egypt. Abram listened to Sarai and had a baby with Hagar. When Hagar realized she was going to have a baby, she was happy and started to feel better about herself. But Sarai was not happy about this and treated Hagar very badly.
Hagar was so sad and scared that she ran away into the wilderness. But an angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the desert, and the angel asked her why she was running away. Hagar told the angel that she was running away from Sarai.
The angel told Hagar to go back to Sarai and be her servant again. The angel also told Hagar that she was going to have a baby boy and that she should name him Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to her affliction. The angel said Ishmael would grow up to be a wild man who fights with everyone and everyone fights with him. But the Lord would always be with him and make him the father of many descendants.
After the angel spoke to her, Hagar realized that God saw her and cared for her. She called God “a God of seeing.” Hagar had the baby and named him Ishmael, just as the angel told her to. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.
Biblical Lessons
- God hears our prayers and is always watching over us.
- We should treat others with kindness and respect, not with jealousy or mistreatment.
- God’s plans and timing are always perfect, even when we don’t understand them.
- God sees and cares for us, even in difficult times.
Related Stories
Must-Read Christian Books
The Cross of Christ
A profound exploration of the meaning and power of the cross at the center of Christian faith and life.
View on Amazon
The Pilgrim's Progress
A classic allegory of the Christian journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, saturated with Scripture.
View on Amazon
The Reason for God
Thoughtful, biblical responses to common objections to Christianity, aimed at skeptics and believers alike.
View on Amazon
Finally Alive
A biblical exploration of the new birth and why regeneration is at the heart of the Christian life.
View on Amazon
The Discipline of Grace
Shows how God's grace and our disciplined effort work together in sanctification.
View on Amazon
God's Big Picture
Traces the storyline of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a clear, Christ-centered way.
View on Amazon
Biblical Theology
A classic work tracing the progressive revelation of God's redemptive plan in Scripture.
View on Amazon
The Sovereignty of God
A strong, Scripture-based defense of God's absolute rule over all things.
View on Amazon
The Heidelberg Catechism
A beloved Reformation catechism that teaches comfort in Christ through a Q&A format.
View on Amazon
Total Truth
Equips believers to see all of life through a biblical worldview and challenge secular thinking.
View on Amazon
The Universe Next Door
Surveys competing worldviews and contrasts them with the Christian view of reality.
View on Amazon
Christ of the Covenants
Explains the biblical covenants and how they reveal Christ and God's plan of redemption.
View on Amazon
God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment
Argues that God's glory in salvation through judgment is the central theme of Scripture.
View on Amazon
Gentle and Lowly
Meditates on Christ's heart for sinners and sufferers from key biblical texts.
View on Amazon
The Glory of Christ
Calls believers to behold the glory of Christ as the great means of transformation.
View on Amazon
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism
Encourages and equips Christians to share the gospel faithfully and simply.
View on Amazon
The Hiding Place
The story of Corrie ten Boom's faith and forgiveness in the midst of Nazi persecution.
View on Amazon
Counterfeit Gods
Exposes modern idols of the heart and points to Christ as our true treasure.
View on Amazon