Genesis 17

Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant

1When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. 2I will make my covenant with you and give you many descendants.” 3Abram bowed down with his face touching the ground, and God said, 4“I make this covenant with you: I promise that you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5#Rom 4.17Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham,#17.5 Abraham: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “ancestor of many nations”. because I am making you the ancestor of many nations. 6I will give you many descendants, and some of them will be kings. You will have so many descendants that they will become nations.

7 # Lk 1.55 “I will keep my promise to you and to your descendants in future generations as an everlasting covenant. I will be your God and the God of your descendants. 8#Acts 7.5I will give to you and to your descendants this land in which you are now a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan will belong to your descendants for ever, and I will be their God.”

9God said to Abraham, “You also must agree to keep the covenant with me, both you and your descendants in future generations. 10#Acts 7.8; Rom 4.11You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you. 11-12From now on you must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old, including slaves born in your homes and slaves bought from foreigners. This will show that there is a covenant between you and me. 13Each one must be circumcised, and this will be a physical sign to show that my covenant with you is everlasting. 14Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my people, because he has not kept the covenant with me.”

15God said to Abraham, “You must no longer call your wife Sarai; from now on her name is Sarah.#17.15 Sarah: This name in Hebrew means “princess”. 16I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings among her descendants.”

17Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?” 18He asked God, “Why not let Ishmael be my heir?”

19But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will name him Isaac.#17.19 Isaac: This name in Hebrew means “he laughs”. I will keep my covenant with him and with his descendants for ever. It is an everlasting covenant. 20I have heard your request about Ishmael, so I will bless him and give him many children and many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make a great nation of his descendants. 21But I will keep my covenant with your son Isaac, who will be born to Sarah about this time next year.” 22When God finished speaking to Abraham, he left him.

23On that same day Abraham obeyed God and circumcised his son Ishmael and all the other males in his household, including the slaves born in his home and those he had bought. 24Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen. 26They were both circumcised on the same day, 27together with all Abraham's slaves.

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 17

1And it came to be when Aḇram was ninety-nine years old, that יהוה appeared to Aḇram and said to him, “I am Ěl Shaddai – walk before Me and be perfect.

2“And I give My covenant between Me and you, and shall greatly increase you.

3And Aḇram fell on his face, and Elohim spoke with him, saying,

4As for Me, look, My covenant is with you, and you shall become a father of many nations.

5“And no longer is your name called Aḇram, but your name shall be Aḇraham, because I shall make you a father of many nations.

6“And I shall make you exceedingly fruitful, and make nations of you, and sovereigns shall come from you.

7“And I shall establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and your seed after you.

8“And I shall give to you and your seed after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Kena‛an, as an everlasting possession. And I shall be their Elohim.”

9And Elohim said to Aḇraham, “As for you, guard My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.

10“This is My covenant which you guard between Me and you, and your seed after you: Every male child among you is to be circumcised.

11“And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall become a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12“And a son of eight days is circumcised by you, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with silver from any foreigner who is not of your seed.

13“He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your silver, has to be circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh, for an everlasting covenant.

14“And an uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, his life shall be cut off from his people – he has broken My covenant.”

15And Elohim said to Aḇraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

16“And I shall bless her and also give you a son by her. And I shall bless her, and she shall become nations – sovereigns of peoples are to be from her.”

17And Aḇraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Is a child born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or is Sarah, who is ninety years old, to bear a child?”

18And Aḇraham said to Elohim, “Oh, let Yishma‛ĕl live before You!”

19“And Elohim said, “No, Sarah your wife is truly bearing a son to you, and you shall call his name Yitsḥaq. And I shall establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

20“And as for Yishma‛ĕl, I have heard you. See, I shall bless him, and shall make him fruitful, and greatly increase him. He is to bring forth twelve princes, and I shall make him a great nation.

21“But My covenant I establish with Yitsḥaq, whom Sarah is to bear to you at this appointed time next year.”

22And when He had ended speaking with him, Elohim went up from Aḇraham.

23And Aḇraham took Yishma‛ĕl his son, and all those born in his house and all those bought with his silver, every male among the men of Aḇraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that same day, as Elohim told him.

24And Aḇraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25And Yishma‛ĕl his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26Aḇraham and his son Yishma‛ĕl were circumcised that same day.

27And all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with silver from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

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