Genesis 17

The Sign of the Covenant

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord*Gen. 12:7; 18:1appeared to Abram and said to him, *Gen. 28:3; 35:11; Ex. 6:3; Job 42:2"I am Almighty God; *2 Kin. 20:3walk before Me and be *Gen. 6:9; Deut. 18:13blameless. 2 And I will make My *Gen. 15:18; Ex. 6:4; (Gal. 3:19)covenant between Me and you, and *Gen. 12:2; 13:16; 15:5; 18:18will multiply you exceedingly." 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a *(Rom. 4:11, 12, 16)father of many nations. 5 No longer shall *Neh. 9:7your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; *Rom. 4:17for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations *Gen. 17:16; 35:11of you, and *Matt. 1:6kings shall come from you. 7 And I will *(Gal. 3:17)establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, *Gen. 26:24; 28:13; Lev. 11:45; 26:12, 45; Heb. 11:16to be God to you and *Rom. 9:8; Gal. 3:16your descendants after you. 8 Also *Gen. 12:7; 13:15, 17; Acts 7:5I give to you and your descendants after you the land *Gen. 23:4; 28:4in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and *Ex. 6:7; 29:45; Lev. 26:12; Deut. 29:13; Rev. 21:7I will be their God."

9 And God said to Abraham: "As for you, *Ex. 19:5you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: *John 7:22; Acts 7:8Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be *Ex. 12:13, 48; (Rom. 4:11)a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you *Lev. 12:3shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person *Ex. 4:24–26shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shallbe her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, *Gen. 18:10and she shall be amother*Gen. 35:11; Gal. 4:31; 1 Pet. 3:6of nations; *Gen. 17:6; 36:31; 1 Sam. 8:22kings of peoples shall be from her."

17 Then Abraham fell on his face *Gen. 17:3; 18:12; 21:6and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall achild be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear achild?" 18 And Abraham *Gen. 18:23said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"

19 Then God said: "No, *Gen. 18:10; 21:2; (Gal. 4:28)Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My *Gen. 22:16; Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and *Gen. 16:10will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget *Gen. 25:12–16twelve princes, *Gen. 21:13, 18and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My *Gen. 26:2–5covenant I will establish with Isaac, *Gen. 21:2whom Sarah shall bear to you at this *Gen. 18:14set time next year." 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 So 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 foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and *Gen. 18:19all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.