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 Abram and said to him, “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 make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

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

Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,

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

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of 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.

Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of 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, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of 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 between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a 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].”

I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are travelling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. 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 said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout 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 keep, between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male amongst 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.

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token 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.

He who is eight days old shall be circumcised amongst 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 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.

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

The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall 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.

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall 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.”

I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come 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?”

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?”

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

Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

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.

God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for 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.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, 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.

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 set time next year.”

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

When he finished talking with him, God went up 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.

Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money: every male amongst the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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