Abram’ Covenanat with God

Genesis

When Abram was ninety-nine years old， the lord appeared to him and said.\"I am God Almighty. Live always in my presence and be perfect，so thatI mayset my covenant between myself and you and multiply your descendants.\" Abram threw himself down on his face， and God spoke with him and said， \"I make this covenant， and I make it with you: you shall be the father of a host of nations.Your name shall no longer be Abram， your name shall be Abraham， for I make you father of a host of nations. Iwillmakeyouexceedingly fruifful; I will make nations out of you， and kings shall spring from you. I will fulfil my covenant between myself and you and your descendants after you， generation after generation， aneverlasting covenant，to be your God， yours and your descendants' after you. As an everlasting possession I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you now are aliens， all the land of Canaan， and I will be God to your descendants.\"

God said to Abraham， \"For yourpart，youmustkeepmy covenant， you and your descendants after you， generation by generation. This is how you shall keep my convenant between myself and you and your descendants after you; circumcise yourselves， every male among you. Every male among you in every generation shall be circumcised on the eighth day'， both those bern in your house and any foreigner， not of your blood but bought with your money， thus shall my covenant be marked in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. Every uncircumcised male shall be cut off from the kin of hisfather.Hehasbrokenmy covenant.\"

God said to Abraham， \"As for Sarsi your wife; you shall call her not Sarai， but Sarah. I will bless her and give you a son by her. l will bless her and she shall be the mother of nations; the kings of many peopleshallspringfromher.\" Abraham threw himself down on his face;helaughedandsaidto himself， \"Can a son be bom to a man who is a hundred years olde Can Sarah bear a son when she is ninety，\" He said to God， \"If only Ishmael might live under thy special care!\" But God replied， \"No. Your wife Sarah shall bear you a son， and you shall call him Isaac. With him I will fulfil my covenant， an ever- lasting covenant with his descendants after him. I have heard your prayer for Ishmael. I have blessed him and will make him fruitful. I will multiply his descendants; he shall be father of twelve princes， and I will raise a great nation from him. But my covenant I will fulfil with Isaac， whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.\" When he had finished talking with Abra-ham， God ascended and left him.

Then Abraham took Ishmael his son， everyone who had been bom inhishouseholdandeveryone bought with money， every male in his household， and he circumcised them that very same day in the flesh of their foreskins as God had told him to do. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his fore- skin.

更名立約

創(chuàng)世記

當(dāng)亞伯蘭九十九歲時，天主出現(xiàn)在他面前說：“我是無所不能的上帝。你一直在我面前生活而且做個無可挑剔的人，這樣我就可以和你立約，使你的后代繁衍興旺?！眮啿m當(dāng)即俯首在地，上帝對他說：“我是同你訂立此約：你會成為城邦之祖，你不應(yīng)當(dāng)再叫亞伯蘭了，要更名為亞伯拉罕，因?yàn)槲乙鼓愠蔀槌前钪?，讓你多子多孫，從你這里繁衍生出許多國家，你的后代中將有許多君王。我要執(zhí)行我和你訂立之約，此約對你和你的后人，都有效。我是你和你的后代的上帝。我要把你們此時所居住的這片土地，即全部迦南的土地賜給你和你的后代，作為恒久的財(cái)產(chǎn)。我是你子孫后代的上帝?！?/p>

上帝對亞伯拉罕說：“無論你在任何方面，你恪守誓約。你和你的后代，世世代代也都如此。你和你的后裔遵循我同你們所立之約的方法就是：你家族中的每個男人都必須行割禮。你家族中每一代的每一個男丁都應(yīng)該在出生后的第八天施行割禮，包括生在你家的和那些雖然不屬于你們血統(tǒng)，而是你用錢買來的外姓人。這樣我立的約就在你們?nèi)怏w上留下印記，成為永久之約。任何沒有受割禮的男子都將脫離與家族的關(guān)系，因?yàn)樗撑蚜宋伊⒌募s。”

上帝對亞伯拉罕說：“對你的妻子撒萊，你不要稱她撒萊了，改叫做撒拉。我要賜福給她，讓她為你生一個兒子。我要賜福給她，讓她成為所有城邦之母，將是她的后代許多民族的君王?！眮啿备┓厣?，他笑著自語：“一個一百歲的人還能生子嗎?撒拉已經(jīng)九十歲了，她還能有孩子嗎?”他對上帝說：“能讓以實(shí)瑪利在你的特殊關(guān)懷下生活已經(jīng)很好了?！钡系鄞鸬溃骸安唬愕钠拮尤隼瓚?yīng)當(dāng)會給你生一個兒子，你要叫他以撒。我將同他及他的后代永遠(yuǎn)定立立約。我已聽見你為以實(shí)瑪利的祈禱。我已經(jīng)祝福了他，使他多子多孫，使他的后代繁衍興旺。他將作為十二個王子之父，我要讓他身后形成一個大國。撒拉明年此時將生下以撒，我會同以撒履行立約的?！闭f完這話以后，上帝離開了亞伯拉罕升天而去。

當(dāng)天亞伯拉罕與兒子以實(shí)瑪利和每一個生在他家的人，每一個用銀子買來的人，總之，他家里所有的男人，遵照上帝吩咐舉行了割禮。割包皮時，亞伯拉罕是九十九歲，以實(shí)瑪利十三歲。