Genesis 17

The covenant of circumcision

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty#17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’

3Abram fell face down, and God said to him, 4‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram#17:5 Abram means exalted father.; your name will be Abraham,#17:5 Abraham probably means father of many. for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’

9Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner – those who are not your offspring. 13Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.’

15God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’

17Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’ 18And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!’

19Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.#17:19 Isaac means he laughs. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.’ 22When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

23On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

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Genesis 17

CHAPTER 17

1Forsooth after that Abram began to be of ninety years and nine, the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, I am Almighty God; go thou before me, and be thou perfect;

2and I shall set my covenant of peace betwixt me and thee; and I shall multiply thee full greatly.

3And Abram felled down low on his face. And God said to him,

4I am, and my covenant of peace is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of many folks;

5and thy name shall no more be called Abram, but thou shalt be called Abraham, for I have made thee [the] father of many folks;

6and I shall make thee to wax full greatly, and I shall set thee in folks, and kings shall go out of thee;

7and I shall make my covenant between me and thee, and between thy seed after thee, in their generations, by everlasting bond of peace, that I be thy God, and of thy seed after thee;

8and I shall give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy pilgrimage, all the land of Canaan, into everlasting possession, and I shall be the God of them.

9God said again to Abraham, And therefore thou shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee, in their generations.

10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, betwixt me and you, and thy seed after thee; each male kind of you shall be circumcised,

11and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your man’s rod, that it be into a sign of bond of peace betwixt me and you.

12A young child of eight days shall be circumcised in you, all male kind in your generations, as well a born servant [of your household], as a servant bought, shall be circumcised,

13and whoever is of your kindred, he shall be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh into everlasting bond of peace.

14A man whose flesh of his rod shall not be circumcised, that man shall be done away from his people; for he made void my covenant.

15Also God said to Abraham, Thou shalt not call Sarai, thy wife, Sarai, but Sarah;

16and I shall bless her, and of her I shall give to thee a son, whom I shall bless, and he shall be into nations, and kings of peoples shall be born of him.

17Abraham felled down on his face, and laughed in his heart, and said, Guessest thou, whether a child shall be born to a man of an hundred years, and Sarah of ninety years shall bear a child?

18And he said to the Lord, I would that Ishmael might live before thee.

19And the Lord said to Abraham, Sarah, thy wife, shall bear a son to thee, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I shall make my covenant with him into everlasting bond of peace, and to his seed after him;

20also on Ishmael I have heard thee, lo! I shall bless him, and I shall increase him, and I shall multiply him greatly; he shall engender twelve dukes, and I shall make him into a great folk.

21Forsooth I shall make my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall child to thee in this time in the tother year.

22And when the word of the speaker with him was ended, God ascended from Abraham.

23Forsooth Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all the born servants of his house, and all which he had bought, all the males of all men of his house, and circumcised the flesh of their rods, anon in that day, as the Lord commanded to him.

24Abraham was of ninety years and nine when he circumcised the flesh of his rod,

25and Ishmael, his son, had filled thirteen years in the time of his circumcision.

26Abraham was circumcised in the same day, and Ishmael his son,

27and all the men of his house, as well born servants, as those bought and aliens, were circumcised together.

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