Genesis 17
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.
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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