The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 17 -

In truth, after he began to be ninety-nine years of age, the Lord appeared to him. And he said to him: “I am the Almighty God. Walk in my sight and become complete.

And I will set my covenant between me and you. And I will multiply you very exceedingly.”(a)

Abram fell prone on his face.

And God said to him: “I AM, and my covenant is with you, and you will be the father of many nations.

No longer will your name be called Abram. But you will be called Abraham, for I have established you as the father of many nations.(b)

And I will cause you to increase very greatly, and I will set you among the nations, and kings will come forth from you.

And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and with your offspring after you in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

And I will give to you and to your offspring, the land of your sojourn, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

Again God said to Abraham: “And you therefore shall keep my covenant, and your offspring after you in their generations.

This is my covenant, which you shall observe, between me and you, and your offspring after you: All the males among you shall be circumcised.

And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, so that it may be a sign of the covenant between me and you.(c)

An infant of eight days will be circumcised among you, every male in your generations. So also servants born to you, as well as those bought, shall be circumcised, even those who are not of your stock.

And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an eternal covenant.

The male, the flesh of whose foreskin will not be circumcised, that soul shall be eliminated from his people. For he has made my covenant void.”

God said also to Abraham: “Your wife Sarai, you shall not call Sarai, but Sarah.

And I will bless her, and from her I will give you a son, whom I will bless, and he will be among the nations, and the kings of the peoples will rise from him.”

Abraham fell on his face, and he laughed, saying in his heart: “Do you think a son can be born to a one hundred year old man? And will Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”

And he said to God, “If only Ishmael would live in your sight.”

And God said to Abraham: “Your wife Sarah shall give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant, and with his offspring after him.(d)

Likewise, concerning Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless and enlarge him, and I will multiply him greatly. He will produce twelve leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.

Yet in truth, I will establish my covenant with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth for you at this time next year.”

And when he had finished speaking with him, God ascended from Abraham.

Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all who were born in his house, and all whom he had bought, every male among the men of his house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin promptly, the very same day, just as God had instructed him.

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

And his son Ishmael had completed thirteen years at the time of his circumcision.

On the very same day, Abraham was circumcised with his son Ishmael.

And all the men of his house, those born in his house, as well as those who were bought, even the foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Footnotes

(a)17:2 The use of ‘vehementer’ with ‘nimis’ indicates an extreme degree, for each of those words alone means ‘very much’ or ‘exceedingly.’ When used together it is hard to express the meaning.(Conte)

(b)17:5 Abram:in the Hebrew, signifies a high father: but Abraham, the father of the multitude; Sarai signifies my Lady, but Sara absolutely Lady.(Challoner)

(c)17:11 Circumcision is chosen as the sign of the covenant because God intends men and women to have fundamentally different roles in the family, in religion, and in society.(Conte)

(d)17:19 Here is an example where two different words in Latin, ‘pactum’ and ‘fœdus,’ are translated by the same word in English.(Conte)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.

Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you.

I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you.

He who is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.

He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.

I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.”

Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?”

Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac.(a) I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”

When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money: every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.

All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Footnotes

(a)17:19 Isaac means “he laughs”.