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Ch. XVIII. become nations, and from him there shall be kings of nations." Upon this Abraham fell on his face and smiled, and said in his heart, To him who is in his hundredth year shall a son be born? and shall Sarah bring forth in her ninetieth year? And Abraham said to God, Let this Isamel live before thee. Whereupon God said to Abraham, Nay, behold Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his anem Isaak. And I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant to be his God and the God of his seed after him. And as for Ismael, lo! I have hearkeneed to thee and behold I have blessed him, and I will increase him and multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve nations, and I will make him a great nation. But this covenant of mine I will establish with Isaak whom Sarah shall bear andout this time next year."

And when God had finished talking with him, and had ascended from him, Abraham took his son Ismael and all the servants born in his family and all those who were bought with money, even every male of the men in Abraham's family and circumcised thier foreskins that very day, as God had ordered him. Now Abraham was ninety nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ismael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In one and the same day were circumcised Abraham and his son Ismael and all the men of his household, both his home born servants and those bought from foreign nations.

Again God appeared to him at the Oak grove of Mambre. As he was sitting at the door of his tent at noon, he raised his eyes and looked, and lo! three men stood above him. And when he saw them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent' and having made obeisance to the ground, he said, My Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, pass not by thy servant. Let water, I pray thee, be brought and let your feet be washed; and refresh yourselves under this tree; and I will fetch bread that you may eat. And after that you may proceed on your journey, in as mucha s you have turned aside to your servant. Whereupon he said, Do as thou hast said. Then Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said to her, Hast, and mix up three measures of fine flour and make cakes on the hearth. Then Abraham ran to the heard and took a calf tender and good