Genesis 17:10-12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
10 This is the covenant between me and you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.[a](A) 11 Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. That will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.(B) 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 descendants.(C)
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- 17:10 Circumcised: circumcision was widely practiced in the ancient world, usually as an initiation rite for males at puberty. By shifting the time of circumcision to the eighth day after birth, biblical religion made it no longer a “rite of passage” but the sign of the eternal covenant between God and the community descending from Abraham.
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