LIBER GENESIS – GN 17 – GÉNESIS – CAPÍTULO 17

LIBER GENESIS – GN 17

1 Postquam Abram nonaginta et novem annorum factus est, apparuit ei Dominus dixitque ad eum: “Ego Deus omnipotens, ambula coram me et esto perfectus.

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La Biblia – El Antiguo Testamento

Capítulo 17

La circuncisión, signo de la alianza

1 Cuando Abram tenía noventa y nueve años, el Señor se le apareció y le dijo: «Yo soy el Dios Todopoderoso. Camina en mi presencia y sé irreprochable.

2 Yo haré una alianza contigo, y te daré una descendencia muy numerosa».

3 Abram cayó con el rostro en tierra, mientras Dios le seguía diciendo:

4 «Esta será mi alianza contigo: tú serás el padre de una multitud de naciones.

5 Y ya no te llamarás más Abram: en adelante tu nombre será Abraham, para indicar que yo te he constituido padre de una multitud de naciones.

6 Te haré extraordinariamente fecundo: de ti suscitaré naciones, y de ti nacerán reyes.

7 Estableceré mi alianza contigo y con tu descendencia a través de las generaciones. Mi alianza será una alianza eterna, y así yo seré tu Dios y el de tus descendientes.

8 Yo te daré en posesión perpetua, a ti y a tus descendientes, toda la tierra de Canaán, esa tierra donde ahora resides como extranjero, y yo seré su Dios».

9 Después, Dios dijo a Abraham: «Tú, por tu parte, serás fiel a mi alianza; tú, y también tus descendientes, a lo largo de las generaciones.

10 Y esta es mi alianza con ustedes, a la que permanecerán fieles tú y tus descendientes; todos los varones deberán ser circuncidados.

11 Circuncidarán la carne de su prepucio, y ese será el signo de mi alianza con ustedes.

12 Al cumplir ocho días, serán circuncidados todos los varones de cada generación, tanto los nacidos en la casa como los que hayan sido comprados a un extranjero, a alguien que no es de tu sangre.

13 Sí, tanto los nacidos en tu casa como los que hayan sido comprados, serán circuncidados. Así ustedes llevarán grabada en su carne la señal de mi alianza eterna.

14 Y el incircunciso, aquel a quien no se haya cortado la carne de su prepucio, será excluido de su familia, porque ha quebrantado mi alianza».

El anuncio del nacimiento de Isaac

15 También dijo Dios a Abraham: «A Sarai, tu esposa, no la llamarás más Sarai, sino que su nombre será Sara.

16 Yo la bendeciré y te daré un hijo nacido de ella, al que también bendeciré. De ella suscitaré naciones, y de ella nacerán reyes de pueblos».

17 Abraham cayó con el rostro en tierra, y se sonrió, pensando: «¿Se puede tener un hijo a los cien años? Y Sara, a los noventa, ¿podrá dar a luz?».

18 Entonces Abraham dijo a Dios: «Basta con que Ismael viva feliz bajo tu protección».

19 Pero Dios le respondió: «No, tu esposa Sara te dará un hijo, a quien pondrás el nombre de Isaac. Yo estableceré mi alianza con él y con su descendencia como una alianza eterna.

20 Sin embargo, también te escucharé en lo que respecta a Ismael: lo bendeciré, lo haré fecundo y le daré una descendencia muy numerosa; será padre de doce príncipes y haré de él una gran nación.

21 Pero mi alianza la estableceré con Isaac, el hijo que Sara te dará el año próximo, para esta misma época».

22 Y cuando terminó de hablar, Dios se alejó de Abraham.

23 Entonces Abraham tomó a su hijo Ismael y a todos los demás varones que estaban a su servicio –tanto los que habían nacido en su casa como los que había comprado– y aquel mismo día les circuncidó la carne del prepucio, conforme a la orden que Dios le había dado.

24 Cuando fueron circuncidados, Abraham tenía noventa y nueve años,

25 y su hijo Ismael, trece.

26 Abraham e Ismael fueron circuncidados el mismo día;

27 y todos los varones de su servidumbre, los nacidos en su casa y los comprados a extranjeros, fueron circuncidados junto con él.

LIBER GENESIS – GN 17

1 Postquam Abram nonaginta et novem annorum factus est, apparuit ei Dominus dixitque ad eum: “Ego Deus omnipotens, ambula coram me et esto perfectus.
2 Ponamque foedus meum inter me et te et multiplicabo te vehementer nimis”.
3 Cecidit Abram pronus in faciem.
4 Dixitque ei Deus: “Ecce pactum meum tecum. Erisque pater multarum gentium,
5 nec ultra vocabitur nomen tuum Abram, sed Abraham erit nomen tuum, quia patrem multarum gentium constitui te.
6 Faciamque te crescere vehementissime et ponam te in gentes; regesque ex te egredientur.
7 Et statuam pactum meum inter me et te et inter semen tuum post te in generationibus suis foedere sempiterno, ut sim Deus tuus et seminis tui post te.
8 Daboque tibi et semini tuo post te terram peregrinationis tuae, omnem terram Chanaan in possessionem aeternam; eroque Deus eorum”.
9 Dixit iterum Deus ad Abraham: “Tu autem pactum meum custodies, et semen tuum post te in generationibus suis.
10 Hoc est pactum meum, quod observabitis, inter me et vos et semen tuum post te. Circumcidetur ex vobis omne masculinum,
11 et circumcidetis carnem praeputii vestri, ut sit in signum foederis inter me et vos.
12 Infans octo dierum circumcidetur in vobis: omne masculinum in generationibus vestris, tam vernaculus quam empticius ex omnibus alienigenis, quicumque non fuerit de stirpe vestra.
13 Circumcidetur vernaculus et empticius, eritque pactum meum in carne vestra in foedus aeternum. 14 Masculus, cuius praeputii caro circumcisa non fuerit, delebitur anima illa de populo suo; pactum meum irritum fecit”.
15 Dixit quoque Deus ad Abraham: “Sarai uxorem tuam non vocabis nomen eius Sarai, sed Sara erit nomen eius.
16 Et benedicam ei; et ex illa quoque dabo tibi filium. Benedicturus sum eam, eritque in nationes; reges populorum orientur ex ea”.
17 Cecidit Abraham in faciem suam et risit dicens in corde suo: “Putasne centenario nascetur filius? Et Sara nonagenaria pariet?”.
18 Dixitque ad Deum: “Utinam Ismael vivat coram te”.
19 Et ait Deus: “Sara uxor tua pariet tibi filium, vocabisque nomen eius Isaac; et constituam pactum meum illi in foedus sempiternum et semini eius post eum.
20 Super Ismael quoque exaudivi te: ecce benedicam ei et crescere faciam et multiplicabo eum vehementissime; duodecim duces generabit, et faciam illum in gentem magnam.
21 Pactum vero meum statuam ad Isaac, quem pariet tibi Sara tempore isto in anno altero”.
22 Cumque cessasset loqui cum eo, ascendit Deus ab Abraham.
23 Tulit ergo Abraham Ismael filium suum et omnes vernaculos domus suae universosque, quos emerat: cunctos mares ex omnibus viris domus suae; et circumcidit carnem praeputii eorum statim in ipsa die, sicut praeceperat ei Deus.
24 Abraham nonaginta novem erat annorum, quando circumcisus est in carne praeputii sui;
25 et Ismael filius eius tredecim annos impleverat tempore circumcisionis suae.
26 Eadem die circumcisus est Abraham et Ismael filius eius;
27 et omnes viri domus illius, tam vernaculi quam empticii ex alienigenis, circumcisi sunt cum eo.

Chapter 17

1

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: «I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.

2

Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly.»

3

When Abram prostrated himself, God continued to speak to him:

4

«My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations.

5

2 No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations.

6

I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you.

7

I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

8

I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.»

9

God also said to Abraham: «On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.

10

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.

11

Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the mark of the covenant between you and me.

12

Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised, including houseborn slaves and those acquired with money from any foreigner who is not of your blood.

13

Yes, both the houseborn slaves and those acquired with money must be circumcised. Thus my covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting pact.

14

If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.»

15

3 God further said to Abraham: «As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai; her name shall be Sarah.

16

I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Him also will I bless; he shall give rise to nations, and rulers of peoples shall issue from him.»

17

4 Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, «Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?»

18

Then Abraham said to God, «Let but Ishmael live on by your favor!»

19

God replied: «Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will maintain my covenant with him as an everlasting pact, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him.

20

As for Ishmael, I am heeding you: I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make of him a great nation.

21

But my covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you by this time next year.»

22

When he had finished speaking with him, God departed from Abraham.

23

Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all his slaves, whether born in his house or acquired with his money – every male among the members of Abraham’s household – and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that same day, as God had told him to do.

24

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised,

25

and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.

26

Thus, on that same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised;

27

and all the male members of his household, including the slaves born in his house or acquired with his money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

1 [1] The Almighty: traditional but incorrect rendering of the divine title shaddai, of uncertain meaning.
2 [5] Abram and Abraham are merely two forms of the same name, both meaning, «the father is exalted»; another variant form is Abiram (⇒ Numbers 16:1; ⇒ 1 Kings 16:34). The additional – ha – in the form Abraham is explained by folk etymology as coming from ab-hamon goyim, «father of a host of nations.»
3 [15] Sarai and Sarah are variant forms of the same name, both meaning «princess.»
4 [17] Laughed: yishaq, which is the Hebrew form of the name «Isaac»; other similar explanations of the name are given in ⇒ Genesis 18:12 and ⇒ 21:6.