Genesis 17
17
Circumcision—Proof of the Agreement
1When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said, “I am God All-Powerful.#17:1 God All-Powerful Literally, “El Shaddai.” Obey me and live the right way. 2If you do this, I will prepare an agreement between us. I will promise to make your people a great nation.”
3Then Abram bowed down before God. God said to him, 4“This is my part of our agreement: I will make you the father of many nations. 5I will change your name from Abram#17:5 Abram This name means “honored father.” to Abraham,#17:5 Abraham This name means “great father” or “father of many.” because I am making you the father of many nations. 6I will give you many descendants. New nations and kings will come from you. 7And I will prepare an agreement between me and you. This agreement will also be for all your descendants. It will continue forever. I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. 8And I will give this land to you and to all your descendants. I will give you the land you are traveling through—the land of Canaan. I will give you this land forever, and I will be your God.”
9Then God said to Abraham, “Now, this is your part of the agreement: You and all your descendants will obey my agreement. 10This is my agreement that all of you must obey. This is the agreement between me and you and all your descendants. Every male must be circumcised. 11You will cut the skin to show that you follow the agreement between me and you. 12When the baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. Every boy born among your people and every boy who is a slave of your people must be circumcised. 13So every baby boy in your nation will be circumcised. Every boy who is born from your family or bought as a slave will be circumcised. 14Abraham, this is the agreement between you and me: Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people#17:14 cut off from his people This means he must be separated from his family and lose his share of the inheritance. because he has broken my agreement.”
Isaac—the Promised Son
15God said to Abraham, “I will give Sarai,#17:15 Sarai A name, probably Aramaic, meaning “princess.” your wife, a new name. Her new name will be Sarah.#17:15 Sarah A Hebrew name meaning “princess.” 16I will bless her. I will give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many new nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”
17Abraham bowed his face to the ground to show he respected God. But he laughed and said to himself, “I am 100 years old. I cannot have a son, and Sarah is 90 years old. She cannot have a child.”
18Then Abraham said to God, “I hope Ishmael will live and serve you.”
19God said, “No, I said that your wife Sarah will have a son. You will name him Isaac.#17:19 Isaac This name means “he laughs” or “he is happy.” I will make my agreement with him that will continue forever with all his descendants.
20“You mentioned Ishmael, and I heard you. I will bless him, and he will have many children. He will be the father of twelve great leaders. His family will become a great nation. 21But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son who Sarah will have. He will be born at this same time next year.”
22After God finished talking with Abraham, God went up into heaven. 23Then Abraham gathered together Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house. He also gathered all the slaves he had bought. Every man and boy in Abraham’s house was gathered together, and they were all circumcised. Abraham circumcised them that day, just as God had told him to do.
24Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised. 25And Ishmael, his son, was 13 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 house were circumcised. All the slaves born in his house and all the slaves he had bought were circumcised.
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Genesis 17
17
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
1Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am #17:1 Heb El ShaddaiGod Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be #17:1 Lit complete, perfect; or having integrityblameless.
2“I will #17:2 Lit givemake My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5“No longer shall you be named #17:5 I.e., exalted fatherAbram,
But your name shall be #17:5 I.e., father of a multitudeAbraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your #17:7 Lit seeddescendants after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your #17:7 Lit seeddescendants after you. 8And I will give to you and to your #17:8 Lit seeddescendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your #17:9 Lit seeddescendants after you throughout their generations. 10This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your #17:10 Lit seeddescendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, including a slave who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your #17:12 Lit seeddescendants. 13A slave who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised; so My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14But as for an uncircumcised male, one who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name #17:15 I.e., princessSarai, but #17:15 I.e., princess (in another dialect)Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will #17:16 Lit become from her.” 17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19But God said, “No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him #17:19 I.e., he laughsIsaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his #17:19 Lit seeddescendants after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
23Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all the slaves who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on this very same day, as God had said to him. 24Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26On this very same day Abraham was circumcised, as well as his son Ishmael. 27And all the men of his household, those who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
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