Part 9 (2/2)

17:5. 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 mult.i.tude; Sarai signifies my Lady, but Sara absolutely Lady.

17:6. And I will make thee increase exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

17:7. 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 G.o.d to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

17:8. 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 G.o.d.

17:9. Again G.o.d said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

17:10. 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 circ.u.mcised.

17:11. And you shall circ.u.mcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.

17:12. An infant of eight days old shall be circ.u.mcised among you, every manchild in your generations: he that is born in the house, as well as the bought servant, shall be circ.u.mcised, and whosoever is not of your stock:

17:13. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant.

17:14. The male whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circ.u.mcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.

17:15. G.o.d said also to Abraham: Sarai thy wife thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.

17:16. 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.

17:17. 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?

17:18. And he said to G.o.d: O that Ismael may live before thee.

17:19. And G.o.d 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.

17:20. 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.

17:21. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.

17:22. And when he had left off speaking with him, G.o.d went up from Abraham.

17:23. 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 circ.u.mcised the flesh of their foreskin forthwith the very same day, as G.o.d had commanded him.

17:24. Abraham was ninety and nine years old, when he circ.u.mcised the flesh of his foreskin.

17:25. And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circ.u.mcision.

17:26. The selfsame day was Abraham circ.u.mcised and Ismael his son.

17:27. And all the men of his house, as well they that were born in his house, as the bought servants and strangers, were circ.u.mcised with him.

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