參考版本 AFV  A  Faithful Version 的希臘文 2009版本              

耶和華的事，不謀利沒有版權

15. And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.

16. And I will bless her, and give you a son also of her. Yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations—kings of people shall be from her.”

17. And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?”

18. And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19. And God said, “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed. And you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

21. But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time in the next year.”

22. And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23. And Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his silver—every male among the men of Abraham’s house—and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins in the same day, even as God said to him.

24. And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25. And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26. In the same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

27. And all the men of his house that were born in the house, or bought with silver from the foreigner, were circumcised with him.

 (A Faithful Version)

15. 那位神聖的對亞伯拉罕說：你的妻子撒萊，不叫撒萊，叫撒拉。

16. 會賜福與她，讓她生一兒子。這福是讓她成為多國之母，君王由她而出。

17. 亞伯拉罕聽罷便俯伏在地，心卻暗笑：人都百歲，能生孩子？撒拉都九十九可以嗎?

18. 亞伯拉罕隨問：以實瑪利能在你面前存活？

19. 那位至聖者說：你的妻子撒拉生的那兒子，給他起名叫以撒。會與他立一份永久的約，並且延續到他的後裔。

20. 至於以實瑪利，聽你要求，賜福給他，繁衍眾多，十二族長由他而出，成為大國。

21. 只是，我會分別與以撒立約，他是撒拉為你而生，於明年這個時間誕生。

22. 對話完結，這位至聖者便離去。

23. 隨後的日子，亞伯拉罕就讓以實瑪利，家中出生的，或用銀子買來的，就是一眾男丁，按那至聖者的吩咐，在一天之內，為眾人行了割禮。

24. 亞伯拉罕自己行割禮的時候，年九十九歲。

25. 他兒子以實瑪利受割禮的時候，年十三歲。

26. 父子二人在同一天受割禮。

27. 亞伯拉罕全家的男丁，無論是出生在家的，或用銀子買來的，全都領受了割禮。

摩西這段描述呈現出一個分別，亞伯拉罕二位兒子，是今日二個不同的宗教產生的源頭：一是堅持信念，憑著己力與睿智，與耶和華同行，一是自力剛強，憑著血氣闖出自己一片天。摩西只記以撒和雅各，就是後來的以色列。因此，按這約定去理解，就有了亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的[神]出現。

按之前的章節理解，耶和華的意思是，立約是與以撒的直屬關係的原則。只因撒萊明白丈夫的苦情，為完他的心願，這好心並不是壞事，卻為難了耶和華。耶和華沒有反約也沒有責備。

當時耶和華似乎可以有選擇，令以實瑪利成為應許的落實。為何不如此發展？相信理由是夏甲和以實瑪利都沒有耶和華這觀念，更沒有要落實或者追隨的心意。耶和華從不勉強，因為人，有其自主的自由。耶和華也遵守他的承諾，雖然不相信依舊讓他子孫繁多，12支派從他而出 (v.20)。只以亞伯拉罕為父為先知，並不以耶和華為念。

註：雅各，後來的以色列也有12支派，可見耶和華與人立約，就不論這人如何，守約到底。撒萊，她是盡自己的想法，讓亞伯蘭有後。這心意是一份愛，幫亞伯蘭能繼成耶和華的應許，也完成這男人的心願。只因這男人對她是一心一意。

她的心意，似乎在耶和華眼中是寶貴的決定。為此，助這愛人又肯付出的女子去完了一個心願，老來生子。這女子不自私，甘願作出犧牲，卻引來受辱。在人的感性的一面，如何受得了。要求合理的對待，是個人應份要做的事，自己沒能作主，去求能作主的去處理，這完全合理合法。

這個亞伯蘭，是相信，卻不是完全地相信。有多次的遭遇，受過因惠，卻沒有對耶和華產生更大的信心。這樣的人，遍地都是。信心太小，理性太強所至。這個大男人如果靈活一點，家中的事，必然完滿地解決。可惜！慶幸的是，改名以後，那完全是另一回事。(天主教入教之後賜與聖名似乎與此有關)

撒萊改名撒拉，得子之後，似乎是由俗入聖，有了許多體會，也存感恩之心。在後來的日子，家中盡享和諧。兒子以撒和孫子雅各 (富不過三代似乎有點理由，當中必有緣由，能否猜出？) ，都是一心信賴，對耶和華是敬，沒有畏懼，耶和華確是他的知心友。

十八章起，是亞伯蘭改名事件的回顧，詳細記載這故事發展，這個12支派與之前另外的12支派有別，同是亞伯蘭之後，一位跟亞伯拉罕，另一位依舊以亞伯蘭稱之。

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/9412/circumcision-in-islam-compulsory   伊斯蘭當中有解釋割禮箇中原因，只是與舊約的記載有很大的出入。這約原本是在男性，回教卻伸延至女性。都與立約原意無關。

當守約，在不明所以時，約的性質就改變。不旦改變，也不生效。這約卻成了人的枷鎖，鎖住了自由，鎖住了那活躍的心靈，鎖住了人的無限想像力，鎖住了許多正面可以不斷成長的東西。這種敬畏，究竟是釋放還是束縛？