Chapter 12

1The promise of God not made to the Jews only, but to the Gentiles also, and fulfilled to us by Jesus Christ . BUT let us go yet farther, and inquire whether this people be the heir, or the former; and whether the covenant be with us or with them.
2And first, as concerning the people, hear now what the Scripture saith.
3Isaac prayed for his wife Rebekah, because she was barren; and she conceived. Afterwards Rebekah went forth to inquire of the Lord.
4And the Lord said unto her; There are two nations in thy womb, and two people shall come from thy body; and the one shall have power over the other, and the greater shall serve the lesser. Understand here who was Isaac; who Rebekah; and of whom it was foretold, this people shall be greater than that.
5And in another prophecy Jacob speaketh more clearly to his son Joseph saying; Behold the Lord hath not deprived me of seeing thy face, bring me thy sons that I may bless them. And he brought unto his father Manasseh and Ephraim, desiring that he should bless Manasseh, because he was the elder.
6Therefore Joseph brought him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob by the spirit foresaw the figure of the of the people that was to come.
7And what saith the Scripture? And Jacob crossed his hands, and put his right hand upon Ephraim, his second, and the younger son, and blessed him. And Joseph said unto Jacob; Put thy right hand upon the head of Manasseh, for he is my first-born son. And Jacob said unto Joseph; I know it, my son, I know it; but the greater shall serve the lesser; though he also shall be blessed.
8Ye see of whom he appointed it, that they should be the first people, and heirs of the covenant.
9If therefore God shall have yet farther taken notice of this by Abraham too; our understanding of it will then be perfectly established.
10What then saith the Scripture to Abraham, when he believed, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness? Behold I have made thee a father of the nations, which without circumcision believe in the Lord.
11Let us therefore now inquire whether God has fulfilled the covenant, which he sware to our fathers, that he would give this people? Yes, verily, he gave it: but they were not worthy to receive it by reason of their sins.
12For thus saith the prophet: And Moses continued fasting in mount Sinai, to receive the covenant of the Lord with the people, forty days and forty nights.
13And he received of the Lord two tables written with the finger of the Lord's hand in the Spirit. And Moses when he had received them brought them down that he might deliver them to the people.
14And the Lord said unto Moses; Moses, Moses, get thee down quickly, for the people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt have done wickedly.
15And Moses understood that they had again set up a molten image: and he cast the two tables out of his hands; and the tables of the covenant of the Lord were broken. Moses therefore received them, but they were not worthy.
16Now then learn how we have received them. Moses, being a servant, took them; but the Lord himself has given them unto us, that we might be the people of his inheritance, having suffered for us.
17He was therefore made manifest; that they should fill up the measure of their sins, and that we being made heirs by him, should receive the covenant of the Lord Jesus.
18And again the prophet saith; Behold, I have set thee for a light unto the Gentiles, to be the saviour of all the ends of the earth, saith the Lord the God who hath redeemed thee.
19Who for that very end was prepared, that by his own appearing he might redeem our hearts, already devoured by death, and delivered over to the irregularity of error, from darkness; and establish a covenant with us by his word.
20For so it is written that the father commanded him by delivering us from darkness, to prepare unto himself a holy people.
21Wherefore the prophet saith: I the Lord thy God have called thee in righteousness, and I will take thee by thy hand and will strengthen thee. And give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
22Consider therefore from whence we have been redeemed. And again the prophet saith: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach glad tidings to the lowly; to heal the broken in heart; to preach remission to the captives, and sight unto the blind; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of restitution; to comfort all that mourn.