Handmaid

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an Handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's Handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

• Servant

And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an Handmaid.

• Servant

And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his Handmaid to be her maid.

• Concubinage

And she gave him Bilhah her Handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's Handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's Handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

• Servant

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy Handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy Handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine Handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine Handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine Handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

• Hannah
• Blessing
• Consecration

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine Handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine Handmaid, but wilt give unto thine Handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.

Count not thine Handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

And she said, Let thine Handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine Handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine Handmaid.

Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine Handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

And now this blessing which thine Handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

• David
• Obedience

I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine Handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.

That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine Handmaid.

• Prostration
• King
• Abigail

And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine Handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine Handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.

Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine Handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.

And thy Handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.

And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine Handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

Then the woman said, Let thine Handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy Handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his Handmaid.

For the king will hear, to deliver his Handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

• Angel

Then thine Handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine Handmaid:

And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine Handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.

Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine Handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?

And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine Handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.

And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine Handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine Handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine Handmaid.

O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine Handmaid.

• DAVID
• Decision

O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine Handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

For an odious woman when she is married; and an Handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his Handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

• Mary
• Obedience

And Mary said, Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.