Book of Jasher, Chapter 21 — Isaac Is Born; Ishmael Sent Away; Abraham's Two Visits and the Parable of the Tent-Nail
1And it was at that time, at the end of a year and four months of Abraham's dwelling in the land of the Philistines in Gerar, that God visited Sarah; and the Lord remembered her, and she conceived and bore a son to Abraham.
2And Abraham called the name of the son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
3And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at eight days old, as God had commanded Abraham to do to his seed after him; and Abraham was one hundred, and Sarah ninety years old, when Isaac was born to them.
4And the child grew up and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
5And Shem and Eber, and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king of the Philistines, and his servants, and Phicol the captain of his host, came to eat and drink and rejoice at the feast that Abraham made on the day his son Isaac was weaned.
6Also Terah, the father of Abraham, and Nahor his brother, came from Haran, they and all who belonged to them, for they rejoiced greatly on hearing that a son had been born to Sarah.
7And they came to Abraham, and they ate and drank at the feast that Abraham made on the day Isaac was weaned.
8And Terah and Nahor rejoiced with Abraham, and they remained with him many days in the land of the Philistines.
9At that time Serug the son of Reu died, in the first year after the birth of Isaac son of Abraham.
10And all the days of Serug were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
11And Ishmael the son of Abraham was grown up in those days; he was fourteen years old when Sarah bore Isaac to Abraham.
12And God was with Ishmael the son of Abraham, and he grew up, and he learned the use of the bow and became an archer.
13And when Isaac was five years old, he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of the tent.
14And Ishmael came to Isaac and seated himself opposite him; and he took the bow and drew it and put an arrow in it, and intended to slay Isaac.
15And Sarah saw what Ishmael intended to do to her son Isaac, and it grieved her exceedingly on account of her son; and she sent for Abraham and said to him, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for her son shall not be heir with my son — for this is what he sought to do to him this day.
16And Abraham listened to the voice of Sarah; and he rose up early in the morning and took twelve loaves and a bottle of water, which he gave to Hagar, and he sent her away with her son. And Hagar went with her son to the wilderness, and they dwelt in the wilderness of Paran with the inhabitants of the wilderness; and Ishmael was an archer, and he dwelt in the wilderness a long time.
17And he and his mother afterward went to the land of Egypt, and they dwelt there; and Hagar took a wife for her son from Egypt, and her name was Meribah.
18And the wife of Ishmael conceived and bore four sons and two daughters; and Ishmael and his mother and his wife and children afterward went and returned to the wilderness.
19And they made themselves tents in the wilderness, in which they dwelt; and they would continually travel and then rest, monthly and yearly.
20And God gave Ishmael flocks and herds and tents on account of Abraham his father, and the man increased in cattle.
21And Ishmael dwelt in deserts and in tents, traveling and resting for a long time; and he did not see the face of his father.
22And some time after, Abraham said to Sarah his wife, I will go and see my son Ishmael, for I long to see him, for I have not seen him for a long time.
23And Abraham rode upon one of his camels to the wilderness, to seek his son Ishmael; for he had heard that he was dwelling in a tent in the wilderness with all who belonged to him.
24And Abraham went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Ishmael about noon; and he asked after Ishmael, and he found the wife of Ishmael sitting in the tent with her children — and Ishmael her husband and his mother were not with them.
25And Abraham asked the wife of Ishmael, saying, Where has Ishmael gone? And she said, He has gone to the field to hunt. And Abraham was still mounted upon the camel, for he would not get down to the ground, since he had sworn to his wife Sarah that he would not get off the camel.
26And Abraham said to Ishmael's wife, My daughter, give me a little water, that I may drink, for I am weary from the journey.
27And Ishmael's wife answered and said to Abraham, We have neither water nor bread. And she continued sitting in the tent and paid no attention to Abraham; nor did she ask him who he was.
28But she went on beating her children in the tent and cursing them; and she also cursed her husband Ishmael and reproached him. And Abraham heard the words of Ishmael's wife to her children, and he was very angry and displeased.
29And Abraham called to the woman to come out to him from the tent; and the woman came and stood facing Abraham, for Abraham was still mounted upon the camel.
30And Abraham said to Ishmael's wife, When your husband Ishmael comes home, say these words to him:
31A very old man from the land of the Philistines came here to seek you, and such was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was; and seeing you were not here, he spoke to me and said, When Ishmael your husband comes home, tell him: thus said this man — When you come home, put away this tent-nail which you have placed here, and put another nail in its place.
32And Abraham finished his instructions to the woman, and he turned and rode off on the camel homeward.
33And afterward Ishmael came back from the hunt, he and his mother, and returned to the tent; and his wife spoke these words to him:
34A very old man from the land of the Philistines came to seek you, and such was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was; and seeing you were not at home, he said to me, When your husband comes home, tell him: thus says the old man — Put away the tent-nail which you have placed here, and put another nail in its place.
35And Ishmael heard the words of his wife, and he knew that it was his father, and that his wife had not honored him.
36And Ishmael understood his father's words that he had spoken to his wife; and Ishmael listened to the voice of his father, and Ishmael sent away that woman, and she went away.
37And Ishmael afterward went to the land of Canaan, and he took another wife, and he brought her to his tent, to the place where he dwelt.
38And at the end of three years, Abraham said, I will go again and see Ishmael my son, for I have not seen him in a long time.
39And he rode upon his camel and went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Ishmael about noon.
40And he asked after Ishmael, and his wife came out of the tent and said, He is not here, my lord, for he has gone to hunt in the fields and to feed the camels. And the woman said to Abraham, Turn in, my lord, into the tent, and eat a morsel of bread, for your soul must be weary from the journey.
41And Abraham said to her, I will not stop, for I am in haste to continue my journey; but give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. And the woman hurried and ran into the tent, and brought out water and bread to Abraham, which she set before him; and she urged him to eat, and he ate and drank, and his heart was refreshed, and he blessed his son Ishmael.
42And he finished his meal, and he blessed the Lord; and he said to Ishmael's wife, When Ishmael comes home, say these words to him:
43A very old man from the land of the Philistines came here and asked after you, and you were not here; and I brought him out bread and water, and he ate and drank, and his heart was refreshed.
44And he spoke these words to me: When Ishmael your husband comes home, say to him, The tent-nail which you have is very good; do not put it away from the tent.
45And Abraham finished instructing the woman, and he rode off home to the land of the Philistines. And when Ishmael came to his tent, his wife went out to meet him with joy and a cheerful heart.
46And she said to him, An old man came here from the land of the Philistines, and such was his appearance; and he asked after you, and you were not here; so I brought out bread and water, and he ate and drank, and his heart was refreshed.
47And he spoke these words to me: When Ishmael your husband comes home, say to him, The tent-nail which you have is very good; do not put it away from the tent.
48And Ishmael knew that it was his father, and that his wife had honored him; and the Lord blessed Ishmael.