Genesis 17

Abram and Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant

1 When*Literally "And it happened that" Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, "I am El-Shaddai;*Often translated, "God Almighty" walk before me and be blameless 2 so that*Or "and" I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you exceedingly."*Literally "with very very"3 Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying, 4 "As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you exceedingly*Literally "with very very" fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you are living as an alien,*Literally "a land of your sojournings" all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God."

9 And God said to Abraham, "Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you, and also with*Or "between" your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 And at eight days of age*Literally "a son of eight days" you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner*Literally "those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner" who is not from your offspring. 13 You must certainly circumcise*Literally "circumcising you will circumcise" the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner.*Literally "those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner" And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 And as for any uncircumcised male who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his*Literally "her"; the reference is still to a male; the pronoun is feminine because "person" (nephesh) is grammatically feminine people. He has broken my covenant. 15 And God said to Abraham, "as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her; moreover, I give to you from her a son. And I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations.*Literally "she shall become to nations" Kings of peoples shall come*Or "be" from her." 17 And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, "Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old,*Literally "to a man one hundred years old can he be born?" or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?"*Literally "can ninety-year-old Sarah bear a child?"18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!" 19 And God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly.*Literally "with very very" He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year." 22 When*Or "And" he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all those acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner,*Literally "born of house and acquisition of money from the son of a foreigner" were circumcised with him.