Genesis 17

1 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.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

2 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]

I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

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

Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,

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

“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.

5 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.

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

6 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.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

7 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.

I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

8 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].”

And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

9 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.

God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you.

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

This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.

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

You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12 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.

Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.

13 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.

Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.

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

But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15 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.

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.

16 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.”

And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

17 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?”

Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”

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

And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”

19 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.

But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

20 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.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 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.”

But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

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

When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

23 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.

On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.

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

So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,

25 and Ishmael was thirteen years old when Abraham circumcised him.

and his son Ishmael was thirteen;

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

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

27 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.

And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.