Genesis 17
17
Proof of the Agreement
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right. 2I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people.”
3Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him, 4“I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations. 5I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations. 6I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you. 7And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. 8You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants.”
9Then God said to Abraham, “You and your descendants must keep this agreement from now on. 10This is my agreement with you and all your descendants, which you must obey: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you. 12From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave, who is not one of your descendants. 13Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever. 14Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my agreement.”
Isaac—the Promised Son
15God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai, your wife, to Sarah. 16I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”
17Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?” 18Then Abraham said to God, “Please let Ishmael be the son you promised.”
19God said, “No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.
20“As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year.” 22After God finished talking with Abraham, God rose and left him.
23Then Abraham gathered Ishmael, all the males born in his camp, and the slaves he had bought. So that day Abraham circumcised every man and boy in his camp as God had told him to do. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised. 25And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised. 26Abraham and his son were circumcised on the same day. 27Also on that day all the men in Abraham’s camp were circumcised, including all those born in his camp and all the slaves he had bought from other nations.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Genesis 17
17
Covenant Circumcision
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty.#Gn 28:3; 35:11; Ex 6:3 Live#17:1 Or Walk in my presence and be blameless.#Gn 6:9; Ps 15:2; Lk 1:6 2I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
3Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4“As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. 5Your name will no longer be Abram;#17:5 = The Father Is Exalted your name will be Abraham,#17:5 = Father of a Multitude for I will make you the father of many nations.#Gn 35:11; 48:19; Rm 4:11–12,16–18 6I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant#Gn 9:16 to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.#Ex 6:7; Lv 11:45; 26:12,45; Dt 29:13; Heb 11:16; Rv 21:7 8And to you and your future offspring#17:8 Lit seed#Gl 3:16 I will give the land where you are residing — all the land of Canaan — as a permanent possession,#Gn 48:4; Ac 7:5 and I will be their God.”
9God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant. 10This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you, which you are to keep: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you.#17:11 You in v. 11 is pl.#Ex 12:48; Dt 10:16; Ac 7:8; Rm 4:11 12Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised#Lv 12:3; Lk 1:59; 2:21; Php 3:5 at eight days old — every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring. 13Whether born in your household or purchased, he must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as a permanent covenant. 14If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah#17:15 = Princess will be her name. 16I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her.#Gn 18:10 I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed#Gn 21:6–7; Rm 4:19 and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” 18So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable#17:18 Lit alive to you!”
19But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.#17:19 = He Laughs I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders,#Gn 25:13–16 and I will make him into a great nation. 21But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”#Gn 18:10,14; 21:1 22When he finished talking with him, God withdrew#17:22 Lit went up, or ascended from Abraham.#Gn 35:13
23So Abraham took his son Ishmael and those born in his household or purchased — every male among the members of Abraham’s household — and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 26On that very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27And all the men of his household — whether born in his household or purchased from a foreigner — were circumcised with him.
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers