Then God said,“ I am El Shaddai—‘ God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!

神又对他说：“我是全能的神；你要生养众多，将来有一族和多国的民从你而生，又有君王从你而出。

上帝又对他说：“我是全能的上帝；你要生养众多，将来有一国和许多的国从你而来，又有许多君王从你生出。

神又对他说：“我是全能的神；你要生养众多，将来有一国和许多的国从你而来，又有许多君王从你生出。

上帝又说：“我是全能的上帝，你要生养众多，一国，甚至多国必从你而出，许多君王必出自你的子孙。

神对他说：“我是全能的神，你要繁衍增多，必有一国和众国从你而生，又必有很多君王从你而出。

神又对他说：“我是全能的神；你要繁衍增多；必有一国和众邦之国从你而来，众君王也必从你生出。

神又對他說：「我是全能的神；你要生養眾多，將來有一族和多國的民從你而生，又有君王從你而出。

上帝又對他說：「我是全能的上帝；你要生養眾多，將來有一國和許多的國從你而來，又有許多君王從你生出。

神又對他說：「我是全能的神；你要生養眾多，將來有一國和許多的國從你而來，又有許多君王從你生出。

上帝又說：「我是全能的上帝，你要生養眾多，一國，甚至多國必從你而出，許多君王必出自你的子孫。

神對他說：“我是全能的神，你要繁衍增多，必有一國和眾國從你而生，又必有很多君王從你而出。

上帝對他說：『我是全能的上帝；你要繁殖增多，必有一國、集團之國、由你而生，必有君王由你腰腎中生出。

神又對他說：「我是全能的神；你要繁衍增多；必有一國和眾邦之國從你而來，眾君王也必從你生出。

又曰、我乃全能之上帝、爾其蕃息昌熾、一族眾族由爾而生、多王由爾而出、

又曰、我乃全能之上帝、使爾生育眾多、以成群族、列王皆由爾出。

天主又諭之曰、我乃全能之天主、使爾生育眾多、爾後裔必成一族、以至群族、列王皆由爾出、

And God said to him,“ I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.

God said to him,“ I am the Mighty God. Have children so that there will be many of you. You will become the father of a nation and a community of nations. Your later family will include kings.

And God said to him,“ I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.

God also said to him,“ I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you.

God also said to him,“ I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a multitude of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come from you.

Also God said to him:“ I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.

And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

God also said to him: I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you.

And God said unto him, I[ am] God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Then God said to him,“ I am the sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation– even a company of nations– will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!

God said to him,“ I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.

When Abram was ninety nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,“ I am El Shaddai—‘ God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai—‘ God Almighty’— but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.

What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!“ I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”

I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.

But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions— to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

But you promised me,‘ I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore— too many to count.’”

“ I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said.“ Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.

Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him,“ Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

“ For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them,“ Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.

Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Jacob said to Joseph,“ God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.He said to me,‘ I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’

And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!

May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham.”

May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.”

There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim.Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli— Hophni and Phinehas.On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children.So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children.Year after year it was the same— Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.“ Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask.“ Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me— isn’t that better than having ten sons?”Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.And she made this vow:“ O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her.Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking.“ Must you come here drunk?” he demanded.“ Throw away your wine!”“ Oh no, sir!” she replied.“ I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord.Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”“ In that case,” Eli said,“ go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”“ Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea,and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said,“ I asked the Lord for him.”The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow.But Hannah did not go. She told her husband,“ Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”“ Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed.“ Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three year old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine.After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.“ Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked.“ I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord.I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.

A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said,“ From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the mentwenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops,and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.“ These are the tribes and the names of the leaders who will assist you: Tribe Leader Reuben Elizur son of ShedeurSimeon Shelumiel son of ZurishaddaiJudah Nahshon son of AmminadabIssachar Nethanel son of ZuarZebulun Eliab son of HelonEphraim son of Joseph Elishama son of Ammihud Manasseh son of Joseph Gamaliel son of PedahzurBenjamin Abidan son of GideoniDan Ahiezer son of AmmishaddaiAsher Pagiel son of OcranGad Eliasaph son of DeuelNaphtali Ahira son of EnanThese are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.”So Moses and Aaron called together these chosen leaders,and they assembled the whole community of Israel on that very day. All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel who were twenty years old or older were listed one by one,just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So Moses recorded their names in the wilderness of Sinai.This is the number of men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, as their names were listed in the records of their clans and families: Tribe Number Reuben( Jacob’s oldest son) 46,500