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
1And after he began to be ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to him: and said unto him: I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be perfect.
2And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.
3Abram tell flat on his face.
4And God said to him: I AM, And my covenant is with thee; and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram. But thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations.
6And I will make thee increase, exceedingly: and I will make nations of thee; and kings shall come out of thee.
7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy seed after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession: and I will be their God.
9Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10This is my covenant which you shall observe, between me and you, and thy seed after thee: All the male kind of you shall be circumcised.
11And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin: that it may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.
12An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations. He that is born in the house, as well as the bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock.
13And my covenant shall be in your flesh, for a perpetual covenant.
14The male, whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.
15God said also to Abraham: Sarai, thy wife, thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.
16And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless: and he shell become nations, and kings of people shall spring from him.
17Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth?
18And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.
19And God said to Abraham: Sara, thy wife, shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him for a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him.
20And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.
21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.
22And when he had left off speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.
23And Abraham took Ismael his son, and all that were born in his house; and all whom he had bought, every male among the men of his house. And he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin forthwith the very same day, as God had commanded him.
24Abraham was ninety and nine years old, when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.
25And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circumcision.
26The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ismael his son.
27And all the men of his house, as well they that were born in his house, as the bought servants and strangers were circumcised with him.
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.