Genesis 17
17
God changes Abram's name to Abraham and promises him a son
1Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, 2I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” 3Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:
4-5I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham.#17.4,5 Abraham: In Hebrew “Abraham” sounds like “father of many nations”.#Ro 4.17. 6I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings.
7I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.#Lk 1.55. 8I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family for ever, and I will be their God.#Ac 7.5.
9Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. 10-11As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family.#Ac 7.8; Ro 4.11. 12-13From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last for ever. 14Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his promise to me and cannot be one of my people.
15Abraham, your wife's name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai. 16I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.
17Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing. 18Then he asked God, “Why not let Ishmael#17.18 Ishmael: Ishmael was the son of Sarah's slave Hagar (see 16.1-16). inherit what you have promised me?”
19But God answered:
No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac,#17.19 Isaac: In Hebrew “Isaac” sounds like “laugh”. and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.
20I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. 21But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants for ever.
22God finished speaking to Abraham and then left.
23-27On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Genesis 17
17
Genesis 17
1¶ And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.
2And I will make my covenant between me and thee and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4¶ Behold my covenant with thee: Thou shalt be a father of many Gentiles.
5Neither shall thy name any longer be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many Gentiles have I made thee.
6And I will multiply thee exceeding, and I will make Gentiles of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7¶ And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
8And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land in which thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting inheritance; and I will be their God.
9And God said again unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10This shall be my covenant, which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you.
12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger, who is not of thy seed.
13He that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money must needs be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14And the uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has annulled my covenant.
15¶ And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16And I will bless her and give thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of Gentiles; kings of peoples shall be of her.
17Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him who is one hundred years old? and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?
18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac (laughter); and I will confirm my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him.
20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I shall bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; he shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23¶ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all the servants born in his house and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in that same day as God had said unto him.
24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26In that same day Abraham was circumcised and Ishmael his son.
27And all the men of his house, born in the house and bought with money from strangers, were circumcised with him.
The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International