Daily Text and Bible Reading: Sunday, January 5 [Press play below]

16.1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.
16.2 So Sarai said to Abram: “Please now! Jehovah has prevented me from bearing children. Please, have relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have children by means of her.” So Abram listened to what Sarai said.
16.3 After Abram had lived for ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took her Egyptian servant Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.
16.4 So he had relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
16.5 At this Sarai said to Abram: “The injury done to me is your fault. I was the one who put my servant in your arms, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise me. May Jehovah judge between me and you.”
16.6 So Abram said to Sarai: “Look! Your servant is under your authority. Do to her whatever you think is best.” Then Sarai humiliated her, and she ran away from her.
16.7 Later Jehovah’s angel found her at a spring of waters in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.
16.8 And he said: “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” To this she said: “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.”
16.9 Jehovah’s angel then said to her: “Return to your mistress and humble yourself under her hand.”
16.10 Then Jehovah’s angel said: “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that they will be too numerous to count.”
16.11 Jehovah’s angel added: “Here you are pregnant, and you will give birth to a son, and you must name him Ishmael, for Jehovah has heard your affliction.
16.12 He will be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him, and he will dwell opposite all his brothers.”
16.13 Then she called on the name of Jehovah, who was speaking to her: “You are a God of sight,” for she said: “Have I here actually looked upon the one who sees me?”
16.14 That is why the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. (It is between Kadesh and Bered.)
16.15 So Hagar bore to Abram a son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
16.16 Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him."
17.1 When Abram was 99 years old, Jehovah appeared to Abram and said to him: “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and prove yourself faultless.
17.2 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you very, very much.”
17.3 At this Abram fell facedown, and God continued to speak with him, saying:
17.4 “As for me, look! my covenant is with you, and you will certainly become a father of many nations.
17.5 Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will become Abraham, for I will make you a father of many nations.
17.6 I will make you very, very fruitful and will make you become nations, and kings will come from you.
17.7 “And I will keep my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
17.8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you lived as a foreigner—the entire land of Canaan—for a lasting possession, and I will be their God.”
17.9 God said further to Abraham: “As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.
17.10 This is my covenant between me and you, that you and your offspring after you will keep: Every male among you must get circumcised.
17.11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it will serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you.
17.12 Throughout your generations, every male among you eight days old must be circumcised, anyone who is born in the house and anyone who is not one of your offspring and who was purchased with money from a foreigner.
17.13 Every man born in your house and every man purchased with your money must be circumcised, and my covenant in your flesh must serve as a lasting covenant.
17.14 If any uncircumcised male will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that person must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
17.15 Then God said to Abraham: “As for your wife Sarai, you must not call her Sarai, because Sarah will become her name.
17.16 I will bless her and also give you a son by her; I will bless her and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17.17 At this Abraham fell facedown and began to laugh and to say in his heart: “Will a man 100 years old have a child born to him, and will Sarah, a woman 90 years old, give birth?”
17.18 So Abraham said to the true God: “O that Ishmael might live before you!”
17.19 To this God said: “Your wife Sarah will definitely bear you a son, and you must name him Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him.
17.20 But as regards Ishmael, I have heard you. Look! I will bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him very, very much. He will produce 12 chieftains, and I will make him become a great nation.
17.21 However, I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this appointed time next year.”
17.22 When God finished speaking with him, he went up from Abraham.
17.23 Abraham then took Ishmael his son and all the men born in his house and everyone he had purchased with money, every male in the household of Abraham, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, just as God had spoken with him.
17.24 Abraham was 99 years old when he had the flesh of his foreskin circumcised.
17.25 And Ishmael his son was 13 years old when he had the flesh of his foreskin circumcised.
17.26 On that very day, Abraham was circumcised and also his son Ishmael.
17.27 All the men of his household, anyone born in the house and anyone purchased with money from a foreigner, were also circumcised with him."
18.1 Afterward, Jehovah appeared to him among the big trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day.
18.2 He looked up and saw three men standing some distance from him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground.
18.3 Then he said: “Jehovah, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant.
18.4 Please, let a little water be brought and have your feet washed; then recline under the tree.
18.5 Seeing that you have come here to your servant, let me bring a piece of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. Then you may go on your way.” At this they said: “All right. You may do as you have spoken.”
18.6 So Abraham hurried to the tent to Sarah and said: “Quick! Get three measures of fine flour, knead the dough, and make loaves of bread.”
18.7 Next Abraham ran to the herd and chose a tender and good young bull. He gave it to the attendant, who hurried to prepare it.
18.8 He then took butter and milk and the young bull that he had prepared and set the food before them. Then he stood by them under the tree as they were eating.
18.9 They said to him: “Where is your wife Sarah?” He replied: “Here in the tent.”
18.10 So one of them continued: “I will surely return to you next year at this time, and look! your wife Sarah will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the tent entrance, which was behind the man.
18.11 Abraham and Sarah were old, being advanced in years. Sarah was past the age of childbearing.
18.12 So Sarah began to laugh to herself, saying: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I really have this pleasure?”
18.13 Then Jehovah said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Am I really going to give birth even though I am old?’
18.14 Is anything too extraordinary for Jehovah? I will return to you next year at this appointed time, and Sarah will have a son.”
18.15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh!” for she was afraid. At this he said: “Yes! You did laugh.”
18.16 When the men got up to leave and looked down toward Sodom, Abraham was walking with them to escort them.
18.17 Jehovah said: “Am I keeping hidden from Abraham what I am going to do?
18.18 Why, Abraham is surely going to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by means of him.
18.19 For I have come to know him in order that he may command his sons and his household after him to keep Jehovah’s way by doing what is right and just, so that Jehovah may bring about what he has promised concerning Abraham.”
18.20 Then Jehovah said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is very heavy.
18.21 I will go down to see whether they are acting according to the outcry that has reached me. And if not, I can get to know it.”
18.22 Then the men left from there and went toward Sodom, but Jehovah remained with Abraham.
18.23 Then Abraham approached and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
18.24 Suppose there are 50 righteous men within the city. Will you, then, sweep them away and not pardon the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who are inside it?
18.25 It is unthinkable that you would act in this manner by putting the righteous man to death with the wicked one so that the outcome for the righteous man and the wicked is the same! It is unthinkable of you. Will the Judge of all the earth not do what is right?”
18.26 Then Jehovah said: “If I find in Sodom 50 righteous men in the city, I will pardon the whole place for their sake.”
18.27 But Abraham again responded: “Please, here I have presumed to speak to Jehovah, whereas I am dust and ashes.
18.28 Suppose the 50 righteous should lack five. Because of the five will you destroy the whole city?” To this he said: “I will not destroy it if I find there 45.”
18.29 But yet again he spoke to him and said: “Suppose 40 are found there.” He answered: “I will not do it for the sake of the 40.”
18.30 But he continued: “Jehovah, please, do not become hot with anger, but let me go on speaking: Suppose only 30 are found there.” He answered: “I will not do it if I find 30 there.”
18.31 But he continued: “Please, here I have presumed to speak to Jehovah: Suppose only 20 are found there.” He answered: “I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20.”
18.32 Finally he said: “Jehovah, please, do not become hot with anger, but let me speak just once more: Suppose only ten are found there.” He answered: “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
18.33 When Jehovah finished speaking to Abraham, he went his way and Abraham returned to his place.