Genesis 16 (NASB)

16 verses · New American Standard Bible · Formal equivalence (most literal)

The NASB is widely regarded as the most literally accurate English translation. It is the standard for in-depth word study and academic analysis, preserving the exact structure and terminology of the original languages as closely as possible.

Genesis Chapter 16 contains 16 verses and is presented here in the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which uses a formal equivalence (most literal) approach. Read the full text below, compare with other translations, or navigate to any of the 50 chapters in Genesis.

NIVKJVESVNLTMSG
Chapter 15Chapter 17

1Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no [children], and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

2So Sarai said to Abram, 'Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing [children]. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

3After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.

4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.

5And Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.'

6But Abram said to Sarai, 'Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.' So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

7Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

8He said, 'Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?' And she said, 'I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.'

9Then the angel of the LORD said to her, 'Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.'

10Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, 'I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.'

11The angel of the LORD said to her further, 'Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.

12'He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand [will be] against everyone, And everyone's hand [will be] against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.'

13Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, 'You are a God who sees'; for she said, 'Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?'

14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Chapter 15Read in NIVChapter 17

About This Translation

What is Genesis 16 in the NASB?

Genesis 16 in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) contains 16 verses. The NASB uses a formal equivalence (most literal) approach, first published in 1971 (rev. 2020).

How does the NASB translate Genesis 16 differently?

The New American Standard Bible uses formal equivalence (most literal), balancing accuracy with modern readability. Compare this with the NIV (dynamic equivalence) version of Genesis 16 for a different perspective.

How many verses are in Genesis 16 (NASB)?

Genesis Chapter 16 contains 16 verses in the New American Standard Bible. The book of Genesis has 50 chapters total.

Genesis (NASB) — All 50 Chapters