Genesis 17
17
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;#17:1 Hebrew El Shaddai walk before me, and be #ch. 6:9; Deut. 18:13; Job 1:1; Ps. 119:1; Matt. 5:48blameless, 2that I may make my covenant between me and you, and #ch. 12:2; 13:16; 22:17may multiply you greatly.” 3Then Abram #ver. 17fell on his face. And God said to him, 4“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be #Rom. 4:11, 12, 16the father of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram,#17:5 Abram means exalted father but #Neh. 9:7 your name shall be Abraham,#17:5 Abraham means father of a multitude #Cited Rom. 4:17for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make #ch. 35:11 you into nations, and #ver. 16kings shall come from you. 7And I will #Gal. 3:17 establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, #Heb. 11:16; [ch. 26:24; 28:13]to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8And #ch. 12:7; 13:15; Ps. 105:11 I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and #Ex. 6:7; Lev. 26:12I will be their God.”
9And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a #Acts 7:8; Rom. 4:11sign of the covenant between me and you. 12He who is #Lev. 12:3; Luke 1:59; 2:21; Phil. 3:5 eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or #[Ex. 12:48, 49]bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Isaac’s Birth Promised
15And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah#17:15 Sarai and Sarah mean princess shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover, I will #ch. 18:10 give#17:16 Hebrew have given you a son by her. I will bless her, and #ch. 35:11she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17Then Abraham #ver. 3 fell on his face #ch. 21:6; Rom. 4:19; [John 8:56]and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19God said, “No, but #ch. 18:10; 21:2; Gal. 4:23, 28 Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name #ch. 21:3Isaac.#17:19 Isaac means he laughs I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and #ch. 16:10 multiply him greatly. He #See ch. 25:12-16 shall father twelve princes, and #ch. 21:13, 18I will make him into a great nation. 21But #ch. 26:2-5 I will establish my covenant with Isaac, #ch. 21:2whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
22When he had finished talking with him, #ch. 35:13God went up from Abraham. 23Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
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B'resheet (Gen) 17
17
1When Avram was 99 years old Adonai appeared to Avram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai [God Almighty]. Walk in my presence and be pure-hearted. 2I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will increase your numbers greatly.” 3Avram fell on his face, and God continued speaking with him: 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. 5Your name will no longer be Avram [exalted father], but your name will be Avraham [father of many], because I have made you the father of many nations. 6I will cause you to be very fruitful. I will make nations of you, kings will descend from you.
(vii) 7“I am establishing my covenant between me and you, along with your descendants after you, generation after generation, as an everlasting covenant, to be God for you and for your descendants after you. 8I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are now foreigners, all the land of Kena‘an, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.”
9God said to Avraham, “As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation. 10Here is my covenant, which you are to keep, between me and you, along with your descendants after you: every male among you is to be circumcised. 11You are to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; this will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12Generation after generation, every male among you who is eight days old is to be circumcised, including slaves born within your household and those bought from a foreigner not descended from you. 13The slave born in your house and the person bought with your money must be circumcised; thus my covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male who will not let himself be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin — that person will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my covenant.”
15God said to Avraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai [mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess]. 16I will bless her; moreover, I will give you a son by her. Truly I will bless her: she will be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 17At this Avraham fell on his face and laughed — he thought to himself, “Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah give birth at ninety?” 18Avraham said to God, “If only Yishma‘el could live in your presence!” 19God answered, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you are to call him Yitz’chak [laughter]. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20But as for Yishma‘el, I have heard you. I have blessed him. I will make him fruitful and give him many descendants. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21But I will establish my covenant with Yitz’chak, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” 22With that, God finished speaking with Avraham and went up from him.
23Avraham took Yishma‘el his son, all the slaves born in his house and all who had been bought with his money, every male among the people in Avraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin that very day, just as God had said to him.
(Maftir) 24Avraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, 25and Yishma‘el his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26Avraham and Yishma‘el his son were circumcised on the same day; 27and all the men in his household, both slaves born in his house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Haftarah Lekh L’kha: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 40:27–41:16
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Lekh L’kha: Acts 7:1–8; Romans 3:19–5:6; Galatians 3:15–18; 5:1–6; Colossians 2:11–15; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 7:1–19; 11:8–12
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