⁸ And ^(A)he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And ^(B)so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and ^(C)circumcised him on the eighth day, and ^(D)Isaac became the father of Jacob, and ^(E)Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

²³ The sons of Leah: ^(A)Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. ²⁴ The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁵ The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. ²⁶ The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

⁹ And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a ^(A)sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² He who is ^(B)eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or ^(C)bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, ¹³ both 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. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about ^(A)the patriarch David ^(B)that he both died and ^(C)was buried, and ^(D)his tomb is with us to this day.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

¹⁶ Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance^[a] from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor.

⁴ See how great this man was to whom Abraham ^(A)the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!

¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came ^(A)430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^(B)to make the promise void.

The Law and the Promise

^15 (A)To give a human example, brothers:^{[a] (B)}even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

⁹ For this is what the promise said: ^(A)“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁰ And not only so, but ^(B)also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of ^(C)him who calls— ¹² she was told, ^(D)“The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, ^(E)“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”