Genesis 17

1 In truth, after he began to be ninety-nine years of age, the Lord appeared to him. And he said to him: “I am the Almighty God. Walk in my sight and become complete.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came to him, and said, I am God, Ruler of all; go in my ways and be upright in all things,

2 And I will set my covenant between me and you. And I will multiply you very exceedingly.”

And I will make an agreement between you and me, and your offspring will be greatly increased.

3 Abram fell prone on his face.

And Abram went down on his face on the earth, and the Lord God went on talking with him, and said,

4 And God said to him: “I AM, and my covenant is with you, and you will be the father of many nations.

As for me, my agreement is made with you, and you will be the father of nations without end.

5 No longer will your name be called Abram. But you will be called Abraham, for I have established you as the father of many nations.

No longer will your name be Abram, but Abraham, for I have made you the father of a number of nations.

6 And I will cause you to increase very greatly, and I will set you among the nations, and kings will come forth from you.

I will make you very fertile, so that nations will come from you and kings will be your offspring.

7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and with your offspring after you in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

And I will make between me and you and your seed after you through all generations, an eternal agreement to be a God to you and to your seed after you.

8 And I will give to you and to your offspring, the land of your sojourn, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”

And to you and to your seed after you, I will give the land in which you are living, all the land of Canaan for an eternal heritage; and I will be their God.

9 Again God said to Abraham: “And you therefore shall keep my covenant, and your offspring after you in their generations.

And God said to Abraham, On your side, you are to keep the agreement, you and your seed after you through all generations.

10 This is my covenant, which you shall observe, between me and you, and your offspring after you: All the males among you shall be circumcised.

And this is the agreement which you are to keep with me, you and your seed after you: every male among you is to undergo circumcision.

11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, so that it may be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

In the flesh of your private parts you are to undergo it, as a mark of the agreement between me and you.

12 An infant of eight days will be circumcised among you, every male in your generations. So also servants born to you, as well as those bought, shall be circumcised, even those who are not of your stock.

Every male among you, from one generation to another, is to undergo circumcision when he is eight days old, with every servant whose birth takes place in your house, or for whom you gave money to someone of another country, and not of your seed.

13 And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an eternal covenant.

He who comes to birth in your house and he who is made yours for a price, all are to undergo circumcision; so that my agreement may be marked in your flesh, an agreement for all time.

14 The male, the flesh of whose foreskin will not be circumcised, that soul shall be eliminated from his people. For he has made my covenant void.”

And any male who does not undergo circumcision will be cut off from his people: my agreement has been broken by him.

15 God said also to Abraham: “Your wife Sarai, you shall not call Sarai, but Sarah.

And God said, As for Sarai, your wife, from now her name will be not Sarai, but Sarah.

16 And I will bless her, and from her I will give you a son, whom I will bless, and he will be among the nations, and the kings of the peoples will rise from him.”

And I will give her a blessing so that you will have a son by her: truly my blessing will be on her, and she will be the mother of nations: kings of peoples will be her offspring.

17 Abraham fell on his face, and he laughed, saying in his heart: “Do you think a son can be born to a one hundred year old man? And will Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”

Then Abraham went down on his face, and laughing, said in his heart, May a man a hundred years old have a child? will Sarah, at ninety years old, give birth?

18 And he said to God, “If only Ishmael would live in your sight.”

And Abraham said to God, If only Ishmael's life might be your care!

19 And God said to Abraham: “Your wife Sarah shall give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant, and with his offspring after him.

And God said, Not so; but Sarah, your wife, will have a son, and you will give him the name Isaac, and I will make my agreement with him for ever and with his seed after him.

20 Likewise, concerning Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless and enlarge him, and I will multiply him greatly. He will produce twelve leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.

As for Ishmael, I have given ear to your prayer: truly I have given him my blessing and I will make him fertile and give him great increase; he will be the father of twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.

21 Yet in truth, I will establish my covenant with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth for you at this time next year.”

But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.

22 And when he had finished speaking with him, God ascended from Abraham.

And having said these words, God went up from Abraham.

23 Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all who 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 promptly, the very same day, just as God had instructed him.

And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all whose birth had taken place in his house, and all his servants whom he had made his for a price, every male of his house, and on that very day he gave them circumcision in the flesh of their private parts as God had said to him.

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

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he underwent circumcision.

25 And his son Ishmael had completed thirteen years at the time of his circumcision.

And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he underwent circumcision.

26 On the very same day, Abraham was circumcised with his son Ishmael.

Abraham and Ishmael, his son, underwent circumcision on that very day.

27 And all the men of his house, those born in his house, as well as those who were bought, even the foreigners, were circumcised with him.

And all the men of his house, those whose birth had taken place in the house and those whom he had got for money from men of other lands, underwent circumcision with him.