The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 17 -

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.

And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.

Abram fell flat on his face.

And God said to him: I AM, and my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

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.

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

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.

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.

The Covenant of Circumcision

Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

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:

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

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:

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

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.

God said also to Abraham: Sarai thy wife thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.

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.

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?

And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.

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.

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.

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

And when he had left off speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.

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.

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

And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circumcision.

The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised and Ismael his son.

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.

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”.