And regarding Ishmael, I have heard your cry and I will indeed bless him. I will cause him to have many, many descendants. He will father twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
No one ever before gazed upon the full splendor of God except his uniquely beloved Son, who is cherished by the Father and held close to his heart. Now that he has come to us, he has unfolded the full explanation of who God truly is!
The Angel of Yahweh came to the village of Ophrah and sat down under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was secretly threshing some wheat in a winepress so that the Midianites would not see him.
Then she walked about the distance of a bowshot and sat down, for she thought, “I can’t bear to watch my son die.” As she sat nearby, she broke into tears and sobbed uncontrollably.
He alone is the immortal God, living in the unapproachable light of divine glory! No one has ever seen his fullness, nor can they, for all the glory and endless authority of the universe belongs to him, forever and ever. Amen!
When they suffered, he suffered with them. The Angel of His Presence saved them. Out of his enduring love and compassion he redeemed them. He lifted them up, carried them in his arms, and cared for them all the days of old.
I will multiply them until they are as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could also be counted.