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.

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.

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]

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

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

Abram fell prone on his face.

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

And God said to him: “I AM, and my covenant is with you, and 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 your name be called Abram. But you will be called Abraham, for I have established you as the 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.

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

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.

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 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.”

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.

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

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, which you shall observe, between me and you, and your offspring after you: All the males among you shall be circumcised.

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

And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, so that it may 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.

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.

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.

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

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.”

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.

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

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 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?”

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 his house, those born in his house, as well as those who were bought, even the foreigners, were circumcised with him.