BOOK OF GENESIS
CHAPTER 17
The Covenant of circumcision.
[1]
And after he began to be ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared
to him: and said unto him: I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be
perfect.
[2] And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.
[3] Abram fell flat on his face.
[4] And God said to him: I AM, and my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
[5] Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram: but thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations.
Abram: in the Hebrew, signifies a high father:
but Abraham, the father of the multitude; Sarai signifies my Lady, but
Sara absolutely Lady.
[6] And I will make thee increase, exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
[7]
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy
seed after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a
God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.
[8]
And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment,
all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession, and I will be their
God.
[9] Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
[10]
This is my covenant which you shall observe, between me and you, and
thy seed after thee: All the male kind of you shall be circumcised:
[11] And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.
[12]
An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man
child in your generations: he that is born in the house, as well as the
bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock:
[13] And my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant.
[14]
The male, whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that
soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my
covenant.
[15] God said also to Abraham: Sarai thy wife thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.
[16]
And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will
bless, and he shall become nations, and kings of people shall spring
from him.
[17]
Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a
son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? and
shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth?
[18] And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.
[19]
And God said to Abraham: Sara thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for
a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him.
[20]
And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and
increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs,
and I will make him a great nation.
[21] But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.
[22] And when he had left off speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.
[23]
And Abraham took Ismael his son, and all that 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 forthwith the very same day,
as God had commanded him.
[24] Abraham was ninety and nine years old, when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.
[25] And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circumcision.
[26] The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised and Ismael his son.
[27]
And all the men of his house, as well they that were born in his house,
as the bought servants and strangers were circumcised with him.