Genesis 17

1 And after he began to be ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to him: and said unto him: I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be perfect.

When Abram was 99, the Lord appeared to him and told him, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and don't do wrong.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.

I will make my agreement between me and you, and I will give you many, many descendants.”

3 Abram fell flat on his face.

Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, and God told him,

4 And God said to him: I AM, and my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

“Listen! This is the agreement I'm making with you. You will be the father of many nations,

5 Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram: but thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations.

so your name won't be Abram any longer. Instead, your name will be Abraham because I'm going to make you the father of many nations.

6 And I will make thee increase, exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

I will make sure you have a large number of descendants. They will become many nations, and some of their kings will also come from your line.

7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy seed after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

I promise to continue my agreement with you, and with your descendants who come after you, for generations to come. This is an eternal agreement. I will always be your God, and the God of your descendants.

8 And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession, and I will be their God.

I will give you and your descendants the whole country of Canaan—where you've been living as a foreigner—as land to own forever, and I will be their God.”

9 Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Then God told Abraham, “Your part is to keep my agreement—you and your descendants for generations to come.

10 This is my covenant which you shall observe, between me and you, and thy seed after thee: All the male kind of you shall be circumcised:

This is my agreement with you and your descendants who come after you, the agreement you are to keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.

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

You are to circumcise your foreskin, and this will be the sign of the agreement between me and you.

12 An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations: he that is born in the house, as well as the bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock:

From now and for all generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised. This includes not only your sons but also those born in your household or bought from foreigners.

13 And my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant.

You must circumcise those born in your household or bought from foreigners as a sign in your bodies of my eternal agreement.

14 The male, whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.

Any uncircumcised male who refuses circumcision will be excluded from his people because he has broken my agreement.”

15 God said also to Abraham: Sarai thy wife thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.

Then God told Abraham, “Now about Sarai your wife. Don't call her Sarai any longer. Instead, her name will be Sarah.

16 And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless, and he shall become nations, and kings of people shall spring from him.

I will bless her and I promise to give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will become the mother of nations, and kings will be among her descendants.”

17 Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth?

Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground. But inside he was laughing, asking himself, “How on earth could I have a son at the age of one hundred? How could Sarah have a child when she is ninety?”

18 And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.

Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael always live under your blessing!”

19 And God said to Abraham: Sara thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him.

“No, it's your wife Sarah who is going to have a son for you!” God replied. “You are to call him Isaac. I will keep my agreement with him and his descendants as an eternal agreement.

20 And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.

Now about Ishmael. I heard what you said, and I will also bless him. I will make sure he has a great many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.

But it's with Isaac that I will keep my agreement, the son Sarah will give birth to about this time next year.”

22 And when he had left off speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.

When God had finished speaking with Abraham he left him.

23 And Abraham took Ismael his son, and all that 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 forthwith the very same day, as God had commanded him.

That day Abraham circumcised his son Ishmael as well as all those born in his household or purchased, in fact every male among the members of Abraham's household, just as God had told him.

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

Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised,

25 And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circumcision.

and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

26 The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised and Ismael his son.

Both Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.

27 And all the men of his house, as well they that were born in his house, as the bought servants and strangers were circumcised with him.

All the males in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or purchased from foreigners, were circumcised with him.