Genesis 17

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, 1the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am 2God 3Almighty; Walk before Me, and be 45blameless.2I will 6make My 7covenant between Me and you, And I will 8multiply you exceedingly.” 3Abram 9fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a 10multitude of nations.5No longer shall you be named 11Abram, But 12your name shall be 13Abraham; For 14I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and 15kings will come from you. 7I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your 16descendants after you throughout their generations as an 17everlasting covenant, 18to be God to you and 19to your 20descendants after you. 8And 21I will give to you and to your 22descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and 23I will be their God.”

9God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, 24you shall keep My covenant, you and your 25descendants after you throughout their generations. 1026This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your 27descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11And 28you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12And every male among you who is 29eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, including a slave who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your 30descendants. 13A slave who is born in your house or 31who is bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised; so My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14But as for an uncircumcised male, one who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be 32cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name 33Sarai, but 34Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and indeed I will give you 35a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; 36kings of peoples will 37come from her.” 17Then Abraham 38fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And 39will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19But God said, “No, but your wife Sarah will bear you 40a son, and you shall name him 41Isaac; and 42I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his 43descendants after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and 44make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. 45He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a 46great nation. 21But I will establish My covenant with 47Isaac, whom 48Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22When He finished talking with him, 49God went up from Abraham.

23Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all the slaves who were 50born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on this very same day, 51as God had said to him. 24Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when 52he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And his son 53Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26On this very same day Abraham was circumcised, as well as his son Ishmael. 27And all the men of his household, those who were 54born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.