Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the ^[a]Lord appeared to him and said,

³ Then Abram fell on his face [in worship], and God spoke with him, saying,

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and ^[c]kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.^{(A) 8} I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger [moving from place to place], all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession [of property]; and I will be their God.”^(B)

⁹ Further, God said to Abraham, “As for you [your part of the agreement], you shall keep and faithfully obey [the terms of] My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is [the sign of] My covenant, which you shall keep and faithfully obey, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be the sign (symbol, memorial) of the covenant between Me and you. ¹² Every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, [including] a servant whether born in the house or one who is purchased with [your] money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. ¹³ A servant who is born in your house or one who is purchased with your money must be circumcised; and [the sign of] My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ And the male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai (my princess), but her name will be Sarah (^[d]Princess). ¹⁶ I will bless her, and indeed I will also give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael [my firstborn] might live before You!” ¹⁹ But God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard and listened to you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will greatly multiply him [through his descendants]. He will be the father of twelve princes (chieftains, sheiks), and I will make him a great nation.^{(C) 21} But My covenant [My promise, My solemn pledge], I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” ²² And God finished speaking with him and went up from Abraham.

²³ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were purchased with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin the very same day, as God had said to him. ²⁴ So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised. ²⁵ And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised. ²⁶ On the very same day Abraham was circumcised, as well as Ishmael his son. ²⁷ All the men [servants] of his household, both those born in the house and those purchased with money from a foreigner, were circumcised along with him [as the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham].

Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa

17 Jehoshaphat his son then became king [of Judah] in Asa’s place, and strengthened his position over Israel. ² He placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.

His Good Reign

³ The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he ^[a]followed the example of his father (ancestor) David. He did not seek [to follow] the Baals [the false gods], ⁴ but sought the God of his father, and walked in (obeyed) His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. ⁵ Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great wealth and honor. ⁶ His heart was encouraged and he took great pride in the ways of the Lord; moreover, he again removed the high places [of pagan worship] and the Asherim from Judah.

⁷ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them were the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught in Judah having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰ Now the dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. ¹² So Jehoshaphat became greater and greater. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ He had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and soldiers, courageous men, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ This was the number of them by their fathers’ (ancestors’) households: of Judah, the commanders of thousands, Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 courageous men; ¹⁵ and next to him was Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000; ¹⁶ and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the Lord, and with him 200,000 courageous men; ¹⁷ and of Benjamin: Eliada, a brave man, and with him 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and next to him was Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed and ready for military service. ¹⁹ These are the ones who were in the service of the king, besides those he had placed in fortified cities throughout Judah.

The Desire for Signs

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be].” ³⁹ But He replied and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah;^{(A) 40} for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.^{(B) 41} The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now, something greater than Jonah is here.^{(C) 42} The Queen of the South (Sheba) will stand up [as a witness] at the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and now, something greater than Solomon is here.^(D)

⁴³ “Now when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through waterless (dry, arid) places in search of rest, but it does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So will it also be with this wicked generation.”

Changed Relationships

⁴⁶ While He was still talking to the crowds, it happened that His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him.^{(E) 47} Someone said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside asking to speak to You.” ⁴⁸ But Jesus replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰ For ^[a]whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother.”

Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.

A Prayer of David.