Genesis · Chapter 17

[ edit] After forſoþe þat he bigan to be of nynti and nyne ȝeer, þe Lord aperide to hym, and ſeide to hym, I God Almyȝti; goo bifore me, and be þow perfite; I ſhal ſett my couenaunt of pees bitwix me and þee; and I ſhal multiplye þee ful hugeli. And Abram felle down al redi in to þe face.

And God ſeide to hym, I am, and I ſhal ſett my couenaunt wiþ þee, and þow ſhalt be fader of many folk of kynde; and þi name ſhal no more be clepid Abram, but þow ſhalt be clepid Abraham, for I haue ordeyned þee fadir of many folk of kynde; and I ſhal make þee grow mooſt hugeli, and I ſhall ſett þee in folk of kynde, and kyngis ſhal gon out of þee; and I ſhal ſtable my couenaunt bitwixe me and þee, and bitwix þi ſeed after þee, in þi kynredis, wiþ euerlaſtynge boond of pees, þat I be þi God, and of þi ſeed after þee; and I ſhal ȝyue to þee and to þi ſeed aftyr þee þe loond of þi pilgrimage, al þe loond of Chanaan, into euerlaſtyng poſſeſſioun, and I ſhal be þe God of hem.

Eftſones God ſeide to Abraham, And þow þanne ſhalt kepe my couenaunt, and þi ſeed aftir þee, in her kinredis. Þis is my couenaunt, þat ȝe ſhulen kepe bitwix me and ȝow, and þi ſeed after þee; ech maal of ȝow ſhal be circumcidid, and ȝe ſhulen circumſide þe flehs of þe ferþermore parti of ȝoure ȝeerde, þat it be in tokne of bond of pees bitwix me and ȝow. A child of eiȝt dayes ſhal be circumſidid in ȝow, ech maal in ȝoure kinredis, as wel þe freman of ȝoure howſhold as þe bowȝt man ſhal be circumſidid, and who ſo euer were of ȝoure lynage; and my couenaunt ſhal be in ȝoure flehs into euerlaſtynge boond of pees.

Þe maal whos flehs of þe vttermore parti of his ȝerde were not circumſidid, þat ſoule ſhal be don a wey fro his puple; for he haþ maad my couenaunt waſt. And God ſeide to Abraham, Saray, þi wijf, þou ſhalt not clepe Saray, but Sara; and I ſhal blis to hir, and of hir I ſhal ȝyue to þee a ſone, to whom I am to blis, and he ſhal be into naciouns, and kyngis of puplis ſhal grow of hym. And Abraham fel into his face, and lowȝ in his herte, ſeiynge, Wenyſt þow, wheþir a ſone ſhal be born to a man of an hundrid wynter, and Sara nynti winter ſhal bere? And he ſeide to þe Lord, Wolde God Yſmael lyue bifore þee.

And þe Lord ſeide to Abraham, Sara, þi wijf, ſhal bere to þee a ſone, and þow ſhalt cleep þe name of hym Yſaac, and I ſhal ordeyne my couenaunt to hym into euerlaſtynge boond of pees, and to his ſeed after hym; and vpon Iſmael I haue herd þee, loo! I ſhal blis to hym, and I ſhal encrees, and I ſhal multiplie hym greetli; twelue dukis he ſhal gendre, and I ſhal make hym into a greet folk of kynde. But my couenaunt I ſhal maak ſtonde to Yſaac, whom Sara ſhal bere to þee þis tyme in þe toþer ȝeer. And whan þe ſermoun of þe ſpeker wiþ hym was endid, God ſtiede vp fro Abraham.

Abraham forſoþe toke Yſmael, his ſone, and alle þe fre men of his hows, and alle whom he had bowȝt, alle þe malis of alle men of his hows, and he circumſidide þe flehs of þe vttermor parti of þer ȝerde, anoon in þat day, as God had comaundid hym. Abraham was of nynti and nyne ȝeer whan he circumſidide þe flehs of þe vttermore parti of his ȝerde, and Iſmael, his ſone, had fulfillid þrittene ȝeer in tyme of his circumſicioun. And þe ſame day was Abraham circumſidid, and Yſmael his ſone, and alle men of hys hows, as wel fre men as bowȝt and aliens, togideris weren circumſidid.