Genesis 17

1And Abram was ninety-nine years old, when Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty ·God#GodHebrew: El walk before my face, and be perfect. 2And I will set my covenant between me and thee, and will very greatly multiply thee. 3And Abram fell on his face; and God#GodHebrew: Elohim talked with him, saying,

4It is I: behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of a multitude of nations. 5And thy name shall no more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, 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 thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God#GodHebrew: Elohim to thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be a God#GodHebrew: Elohim to them. 9And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said to Abraham, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10This is my covenant which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee — that every male among you be circumcised. 11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and that shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12And at eight days old shall every male in your generations be circumcised among you — he who is born in the house, and he who is bought with money, any stranger who is not of thy seed. 13He who is born in thy house, and he who is bought with thy money, must be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14And the uncircumcised male who hath not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples: he hath broken my covenant.

15And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said to Abraham, As to Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16And I will bless her, and I will give thee a son also of her; and I will bless her, and she shall become nations: kings of peoples shall be of her. 17And Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear? 18And Abraham said to God#GodHebrew: Elohim Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said, Sarah thy wife shall indeed bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him, for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. 20And for Ishmael I have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year. 22And he left off talking with him; and God#GodHebrew: Elohim went up from Abraham.

23And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money — every male among the people of Abraham's house — and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that same day, as God#GodHebrew: Elohim had said to 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 the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son; 27and all the men of his house, born in his house, or bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

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Genesis 17

Proof of the Agreement

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right. 2I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people.”

3Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him, 4“I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations. 5I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations. 6I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you. 7And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. 8You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants.”

9Then God said to Abraham, “You and your descendants must keep this agreement from now on. 10This is my agreement with you and all your descendants, which you must obey: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you. 12From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave, who is not one of your descendants. 13Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever. 14Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my agreement.”

Isaac—the Promised Son

15God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai, your wife, to Sarah. 16I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”

17Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?” 18Then Abraham said to God, “Please let Ishmael be the son you promised.”

19God said, “No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.

20“As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year.” 22After God finished talking with Abraham, God rose and left him.

23Then Abraham gathered Ishmael, all the males born in his camp, and the slaves he had bought. So that day Abraham circumcised every man and boy in his camp as God had told him to do. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised. 25And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen 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 camp were circumcised, including all those born in his camp and all the slaves he had bought from other nations.

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