Hagar and di God Wey See

One young mama sit down under di hot sky, about one arrow distance from her son. Di water skin don empty. She no fit bear to watch wetin go happen next. So she turn her face away, and she cry. And Somebody hear.

God don promise Abram say im family go become great nation. But ten years don pass for Canaan, and Abram and Sarai still no get pikin. Sarai get one servant, one Egyptian woman wey dem dey call Hagar. And Sarai get one plan. Di Lord don stop me from having children, she tell Abram. Take my servant as wife. Maybe I go fit get family through her. Na custom wey people know for dat world. Abram agree. Nobody ask Hagar. At least, di story no ever tell us say dem ask her.

Hagar get belle. And something change for di household. Genesis talk say Hagar begin look down on Sarai. Sarai turn on Abram. Dis wrong na your fault! Abram step back. Your servant dey your hand. Do wetin you think say e good. So Sarai treat Hagar hard, so hard dat Hagar run. With belle and alone, she face south enter di wilderness, for di road wey dey go Shur, di road wey dey lead back to Egypt.

Near one spring for di desert, di angel of di Lord find her. And e call her by name. Hagar, servant of Sarai, where you come from, and where you dey go? I dey run from my madam Sarai, she talk. Di angel tell her make she go back. And then e give her promise wey be her own. I go multiply your descendants sote nobody go fit count dem. You go born son, and you go call am Ishmael. Ishmael mean God dey hear. Because di Lord don hear your suffering. Hagar do something wey big. She give di Lord one name. You be di God wey see me. So dem call di spring di well of di Living One wey see me. Hagar go back, and she born one son. Abram be eighty-six years, and e name di boy Ishmael.

Years pass. At last Sarah, as dem dey call her now, born her own son, Isaac. When Isaac stop to suck breast, Abraham do big feast. And Sarah see Ishmael dey laugh. Di Hebrew word fit mean say e dey mock, or say e just dey play, and readers don argue about am for long time. Whichever way, Sarah don reach her limit. Drive dis slave woman and her son comot. Di matter trouble Abraham well well. Ishmael na im son too. But God tell am, Do as Sarah talk. Your family line go come through Isaac. But I go make Ishmael one nation too, because e be your pikin. Early di next morning Abraham give Hagar bread and one skin of water, e put am for her shoulder, and e send her away with di boy. Dem waka up and down for di wilderness of Beersheba.

Then di water finish. Hagar put her son for di shade of one bush, and she go sit down small distance away. I no fit watch di boy die, she talk, and she cry well well. And God hear di voice of di boy. Di angel of God call Hagar from heaven. Wetin happen, Hagar? No fear. God don hear di boy as e dey cry, for di place wey e dey. Get up. Lift am up and hold am for hand, because I go make am great nation. Then God open her eyes, and she see one well of water. She fill di skin, and she give her son water drink.

And God dey with di boy as e dey grow. Ishmael live for di wilderness of Paran and e come sabi bow and arrow well well, and im mama find wife for am from her own country, Egypt.

Di plan of Sarai sound strange to us, but e no dey unusual for her world. Law collections from old Mesopotamia, plus di famous Laws of Hammurabi, describe how wife fit give her female slave to her husband so dat di children wey dem born go count as di wife own. Dat laws even see say trouble fit come when di slave, after she don born children, claim say she dey equal with her madam. Later for Genesis, Rachel and Leah do di same tin with dia servants. So di tension for Abram tent na tension wey many households know.

Dem tell di story of Hagar for Genesis chapter sixteen, and chapter twenty-one, verse eight to twenty-one. She be servant, foreigner, wey dem send away two times. But God find her near one spring, e hear her son, and e open her eyes to see one well. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you feel say nobody dey see you, wetin e go mean for you to know say God dey see you?