Genesis 17

1 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.

When Abram was 99 years old, Yahweh appeared to him again and said to him, “I am God Almighty. I want you to live in a way that I will regard you as someone that cannot be criticized.

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

If you do that, I will make an agreement with you in which I will promise to enable you to have very many descendants.” [MTY]

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

Abram prostrated himself with his face on the ground. Then God said to him,

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

“Listen to this agreement that I am making with you: People of many nations will be your descendants.

5 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.

And no longer will your name be Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham, [which means ‘father of many nations,’] because the people of many nations will descend from you.

6 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.

I will enable you to have very many descendants, and I will cause them to become great nations/people-groups, and some of your descendants will become kings.

7 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.

I will make this agreement between me and you and your descendants. It will be an everlasting agreement to be in effect for many generations. This agreement is that I will be your God, and the God of your descendants.

8 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.”

I will give to you and to your descendants the land through which you are now traveling, all of the Canaan region. It will be an everlasting possession for your descendants, and I will be the God that they [will worship].”

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

Then God said to Abraham, “Now you must obey [your part of] the agreement that I am making with you, and your descendants must also obey it, for all generations.

10 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.

This is the agreement that I am making, between myself and you and all your descendants: Every male among you must be circumcised.

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

(Cutting the foreskins of/Circumcising) them will be the sign [that you have accepted] the agreement I am making with you.

12 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.

Every male child among you must be circumcised when he is eight days old, in all future generations. That includes baby boys in your household or those born from slaves that have been bought, and baby boys of foreigners who live among you but do not belong to your household.

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

It does not matter whether their parents are members of your household or slaves that have been bought; they must all be circumcised. Your bodies will have this mark to show [you have accepted] this everlasting agreement I am making.

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

You must expel from your community any male who has not been circumcised, because [by not being circumcised] that person has disobeyed my agreement.”

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

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai, your wife, you must not call her Sarai any longer. [Since I changed your name, I will change her name also]. Her name will now be Sarah.

16 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.”

I will bless her, and she will surely give birth to a son for you. And I will bless her so much that she will be the ancestor of people of many nations. Kings of some people-groups will be descended from her.”

17 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?”

Abraham prostrated himself with his face on the ground [to show respect to God]. But then he laughed as he said to himself, “Can a man who is a 100 years old become a father of a son? And since Sarah is 90 years old, how can she bear a child?”

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

Then Abraham said to God, “Perhaps you will let Ishmael receive your blessing [and inherit all I possess].”

19 “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.

Then God replied, “[No!] Your wife Sarah will bear a son for you. You must name him Isaac. I will establish my agreement with him, one which will be an everlasting agreement for him and his descendants.

20 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.

As for Ishmael, I have heard what you asked me to do for him. I will bless him so that he also will have many descendants. Among his descendants will be rulers of twelve nations. And I will cause his [descendants] [MTY] to also become a great nation.

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

But Isaac, the son whom Sarah will give birth to at this time next year, is the one with whom I will establish my agreement.”

22 When God had finished speaking with Abraham he left him.

When God finished talking to Abraham, God disappeared from his sight.

23 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.

On that same day, Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the males that were in his household, including the sons of all the slaves he had bought, and circumcised them. He cut off their foreskins, just as God told him to do.

24 Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised,

Abraham was 99 years old when (he was circumcised/someone circumcised him),

25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

and Ishmael was thirteen years old when Abraham circumcised him.

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

On that very day Abraham and his son, Ishmael were circumcised.

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

And all the males in his household, the ones who had been born there and those who had been bought from foreigners, were also circumcised.