Genesis 17
17
God’s covenant with Abraham
1When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai.#17.1 Or God Almighty or God of the Mountain Walk with me and be trustworthy. 2I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants.” 3Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4“But me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abram#17.5 Or exalted ancestor but Abraham.#17.5 Or ancestor of a multitude 6I will make you very fertile. I will produce nations from you, and kings will come from you. 7I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you. 8I will give you and your descendants the land in which you are immigrants, the whole land of Canaan, as an enduring possession. And I will be their God.”
9God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants in every generation. 10This is my covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Circumcise every male. 11You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be a symbol of the covenant between us. 12On the eighth day after birth, every male in every generation must be circumcised, including those who are not your own children: those born in your household and those purchased with silver from foreigners. 13Be sure you circumcise those born in your household and those purchased with your silver. Your flesh will embody my covenant as an enduring covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin remains uncircumcised will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
15God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you will no longer call her Sarai. Her name will now be Sarah. 16I will bless her and even give you a son from her. I will bless her so that she will become nations, and kings of peoples will come from her.”
17Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said to himself, Can a 100-year-old man become a father, or Sarah, a 90-year-old woman, have a child? 18To God Abraham said, “If only you would accept Ishmael!”
19But God said, “No, your wife Sarah will give birth to a son for you, and you will name him Isaac.#17.19 Or he laughs I will set up my covenant with him and with his descendants after him as an enduring covenant. 20As for Ishmael, I’ve heard your request. I will bless him and make him fertile and give him many, many descendants. He will be the ancestor of twelve tribal leaders, and I will make a great nation of him. 21But I will set up my covenant with Isaac, who will be born to Sarah at this time next year.” 22When God finished speaking to him, God ascended, leaving Abraham alone.
23Abraham took his son Ishmael, all those born in his household, and all those purchased with his silver—that is, every male in Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that same day, just as God had told him to do. 24Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, 25and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 26That same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27All the men of his household, those born in his household and those purchased with silver from foreigners, were circumcised with him.
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
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.