Genesis 17 - 18 - Legacy Standard Bible

Genesis 17 - 18

Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant

Now it happened that when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him,

“I am God Almighty;

Walk before Me and be blameless,

so that I may confirm My covenant between Me and you,

And that I may multiply you exceedingly.”

3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying, 4

“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,

And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

And no longer shall your name be called Abram,

But your name shall be Abraham;

For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6 And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will go forth from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” 9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, one who is born in the house or one who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your seed. 13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 But an uncircumcised 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.”

Sarah Will Bear Isaac

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then 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, “Will a son be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22 So He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had spoken with him. 24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 Now all the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Yahweh Appears to Abraham

Then Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing nearby; he saw, and he ran from the tent door to meet them, and he bowed himself to the earth, 3 and he said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and let me bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh your hearts; after that you may pass on, since in such a manner you have passed by your servant.” And they said, “So you shall do, as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to his young man, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree, and they ate. 9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 And He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12 And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a son, when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Then Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Yahweh and Abraham Speak About Sodom

16 Then the men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 Now Yahweh said, “Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” 20 So Yahweh said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before Yahweh. 23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do justice?” 26 So Yahweh said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.” 27 And Abraham answered and said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Then he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33 And as soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham, Yahweh departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

Matthew 13

The Parable of the Sower

On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and were yielding a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And Jesus answered and said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;

You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

For the heart of this people has become dull,

And with their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes,

Lest they would see with their eyes,

Hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

The Parable of Tares Among Wheat

24 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” 33 He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.” 34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He was not speaking to them without a parable 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

“I will open My mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of Tares Explained

36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

A Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

A Costly Pearl

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

A Dragnet

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53 Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54 And He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they were taking offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Psalm 9

Yahweh Will Judge the World in Righteousness

For the choir director. Almuth-labben. A Psalm of David.

א Aleph

I will give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart;

I will recount all Your wondrous deeds.

א Aleph

I will be glad and exult in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

ב Beth

When my enemies turn back,

They stumble and perish before You.

For You have maintained my justice and my cause;

You have sat on the throne judging righteously.

ג Gimel

You have rebuked the nations, You have made the wicked perish;

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

ה He

The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,

And You have uprooted the cities;

The very memory of them has perished.

ו Vav

But Yahweh abides forever;

He has established His throne for judgment,

ו Vav

And He will judge the world in righteousness;

He will render justice for the peoples with equity.

ו Vav

Yahweh also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,

A stronghold in times of distress;

ו Vav

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,

For You, O Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek You.

ז Zayin

Sing praises to Yahweh, who abides in Zion;

Declare among the peoples His acts.

For He who requires blood remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

ח Heth

Be gracious to me, O Yahweh;

See my affliction from those who hate me,

You who lift me up from the gates of death,

That I may recount all Your praises,

That in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in Your salvation.

ט Teth

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;

In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.

Yahweh has made Himself known;

He has executed judgment.

In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah.

י Yodh

The wicked will return to Sheol,

Even all the nations who forget God.

כ Kaph

For the needy will not always be forgotten,

Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

Arise, O Yahweh, do not let man prevail;

Let the nations be judged before You.

Put them in fear, O Yahweh;

Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.