Genesis 17:1-14

New International Version

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) ²Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(E) and will greatly increase your numbers.”^(F)

³Abram 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) ⁵No 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) ⁶I will make you very fruitful;^(L) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^(M) ⁷I 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) ⁸The 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)”

⁹Then 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) ¹⁰This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^(X) ¹¹You are to undergo circumcision,^(Y) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(Z) between me and you. ¹²For 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. ¹³Whether 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) ¹⁴Any 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)”

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Footnotes

Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.

Galatians 3:1-14

New International Version

Faith or Works of the Law

3 You foolish^(A) Galatians!^(B) Who has bewitched you?^(C) Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.^(D) ²I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit^(E) by the works of the law,^(F) or by believing what you heard?^(G) ³Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?^[a] ⁴Have you experienced^[b] so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles^(H) among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?^(I) ⁶So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[c]^(J)

⁷Understand, then, that those who have faith^(K) are children of Abraham.^(L) ⁸Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”^[d]^(M) ⁹So those who rely on faith^(N) are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.^(O)

¹⁰For all who rely on the works of the law^(P) are under a curse,^(Q) as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”^[e]^(R) ¹¹Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God,^(S) because “the righteous will live by faith.”^[f]^(T) ¹²The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”^[g]^(U) ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law^(V) by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”^[h]^(W) ¹⁴He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,^(X) so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.^(Y)

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Footnotes

Galatians 3:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
Galatians 3:4 Or suffered
Galatians 3:6 Gen. 15:6
Galatians 3:8 Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18
Galatians 3:10 Deut. 27:26
Galatians 3:11 Hab. 2:4
Galatians 3:12 Lev. 18:5
Galatians 3:13 Deut. 21:23