Genesis 17

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am El Shaddai. Walk before me, and be blameless.

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 covenant between me and you, and will multiply you greatly."

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 Then Abram fell facedown, and God talked with him, saying,

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

4 "As for me, look, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.

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

5 Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I will make you the father of a multitude of 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 you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.

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 will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

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 to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, 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 God said to Abraham, "As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

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 covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: 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 shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a sign of the covenant 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 He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your descendants.

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 He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

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 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that person shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."

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 God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but 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 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. And I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her."

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 Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"

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, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you."

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

19 And God said, "Truly, Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.

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 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Look, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him 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 my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set 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 he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

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

23 Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money; every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to 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 ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

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

25 Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

and Ishmael was thirteen years old when Abraham circumcised him.

26 In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.

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

27 All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money from a foreigner, 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.