The Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,^(A) the Lord appeared to him^(B) and said, “I am God Almighty^[a];^(C) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.^{(D) 2} Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(E) and will greatly increase your numbers.”^(F)

³ Abram fell facedown,^(G) and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you:^(H) You will be the father of many nations.^{(I) 5} No longer will you be called Abram^[b]; your name will be Abraham,^[c](J) for I have made you a father of many nations.^{(K) 6} I will make you very fruitful;^(L) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^{(M) 7} I will establish my covenant^(N) as an everlasting covenant^(O) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God^(P) and the God of your descendants after you.^{(Q) 8} The whole land of Canaan,^(R) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(S) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;^(T) and I will be their God.^(U)”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(V) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^{(W) 10} This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^{(X) 11} You are to undergo circumcision,^(Y) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(Z) between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come^(AA) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(AB) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.^(AC) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^{(AD) 14} Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(AE) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(AF) he has broken my covenant.^(AG)”

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai^(AH) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.^{(AI) 16} I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.^(AJ) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;^(AK) kings of peoples will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown;^(AL) he laughed^(AM) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?^(AN) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”^{(AO) 18} And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael^(AP) might live under your blessing!”^(AQ)

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,^(AR) and you will call him Isaac.^[d](AS) I will establish my covenant with him^(AT) as an everlasting covenant^(AU) for his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.^(AV) He will be the father of twelve rulers,^(AW) and I will make him into a great nation.^{(AX) 21} But my covenant^(AY) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you^(AZ) by this time next year.”^{(BA) 22} When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^(BB)

²³ On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household^(BC) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.^{(BD) 24} Abraham was ninety-nine years old^(BE) when he was circumcised,^{(BF) 25} and his son Ishmael^(BG) was thirteen; ²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ And every male in Abraham’s household^(BH), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham^(BI) near the great trees of Mamre^(BJ) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent^(BK) in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up^(BL) and saw three men^(BM) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.^(BN)

³ He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(BO) my lord,^[e] do not pass your servant^(BP) by. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet^(BQ) and rest under this tree. ⁵ Let me get you something to eat,^(BR) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs^[f] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”^(BS)

⁷ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf^(BT) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He then brought some curds^(BU) and milk^(BV) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.^(BW) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?”^(BX) they asked him.

“There, in the tent,^(BY)” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,^(BZ) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”^(CA)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old,^(CB) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.^{(CC) 12} So Sarah laughed^(CD) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord^(CE) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’^{(CF) 14} Is anything too hard for the Lord?^(CG) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,^(CH) and Sarah will have a son.”^(CI)

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

¹⁶ When the men^(CJ) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham^(CK) what I am about to do?^{(CL) 18} Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,^(CM) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.^{[g] 19} For I have chosen him^(CN), so that he will direct his children^(CO) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord^(CP) by doing what is right and just,^(CQ) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”^(CR)

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom^(CS) and Gomorrah is so great^(CT) and their sin so grievous^{(CU) 21} that I will go down^(CV) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

²² The men^(CW) turned away and went toward Sodom,^(CX) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{[h](CY) 23} Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{(CZ) 24} What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^[i] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?^{(DA) 25} Far be it from you to do such a thing^(DB)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous^(DC) and the wicked alike.^(DD) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge^(DE) of all the earth do right?”^(DF)

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.^(DG)”

²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,^{(DH) 28} what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

³⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,^(DI) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹ Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³² Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.^(DJ) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,^(DK) I will not destroy it.”

³³ When the Lord had finished speaking^(DL) with Abraham, he left,^(DM) and Abraham returned home.^(DN)

Psalm 7^[a]

A shiggaion^[b](A) of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

Judging Others^(A)

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.^{(B) 2} For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.^(C)

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock^(D)

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you;^(E) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;^(F) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts^(G) to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,^(H) for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.^(I)

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate.^(J) For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets.^(K) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.^{(L) 16} By their fruit you will recognize them.^(M) Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?^{(N) 17} Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.^{(O) 19} Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.^{(P) 20} Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’^(Q) will enter the kingdom of heaven,^(R) but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.^{(S) 22} Many will say to me on that day,^(T) ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’^{(U) 23} Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’^(V)

The Wise and Foolish Builders^(W)

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice^(X) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(Y) the crowds were amazed at his teaching,^{(Z) 29} because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.