THE COVENANT OF THE CIRCUMCISION
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him
and said, "I am God the almighty. Walk in my presence. Then
I will make my covenant between you and me, and will multiply
you exceedingly." Abram fell prostrate, and God spoke to him, "Says I,
this is my covenant I set with you. You shall be
of a multitude of nations; you shall no longer be
called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham for I shall make
you the father of a multitude of nations, and for your sake,
I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nake nations of you.
I will set my covenant between you and me established true
and with all of your descendents after you and throughout
their generations as a perpetual covenant, without a doubt,
that I may be a God to you and your descendents after you,
I will give this land in which you are immigrants onto
you and your descendents, all the land of Chanaan to trod
as a perpetual possession; and I will be their God."
God also said to Abraham, "You and your descendents,
shall keep my covenant with you through generations hence.
This is my covenant you shall keep that every male shall be
circumsized among you as a token between you and me.
He that is eight days old shall have the flesh of his foreskin
circumcized. Every male, including the slave born in
your house or bought with money from any foreigner, not
of your race, regardless, the foreskin shall be cut.
My covenant shall be in your flesh as a perpetual covenant.
If any shall not be circumcized, that person shall be rent,
and cut off from his people; for he has broken in that way
the sacred pact between you and me that I have set forth this day."


ISSAC'S BIRTH PROMISED

God said to Abraham, "Sarai, your wife, you shall no longer call Sarai,
but Sarah. I will bless her, and will give you a son by her; yes, I
will bless her, and she shall be the mother of nations; kings
of people shall descend from her." And as Abraham did fling
himself prostrate, he laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child to one
who is a hundred years old be born? Shall Sarah at ninety bear a son?"
Then Abraham said onto the Lord, "  Oh, that Ismael may live 
in your favor!" God answered, "No, but Sarah your wife shall give
you a son and you shall call him Issac. My covenant with him shall I
establish as a perpetual covenant for his descendents to abide.
As for Ismael, I have heard you. I will bless and make him be
fruitful, and multiply him greatly. The father of twelve princes he
shall become, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant
I will establish with Issac who at this time next year shall be sent,
and whom Sarah shall bear to you." And He left Abraham that day,
after He had finished talking to him, and went up from him away.


CIRCUMCISION OF ABRAHAM'S HOUSE

And Abraham took Ismael, his son, and all else born
in his house, and all those bought with money, every one
of the males among the people there in the house of Abraham
and circumcized the flesh of their foreskin as the Lord did command.
Abraham was ninety years old and nine when he had done
the circumcision of his foreskin. And Ismael, his son,
was thirteen when he was circumcized ; and all the men who were born
of his house were circumcized, as well as those bought 
	from those foreign.


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