Genesis 17

1 And Abram is a son of ninety and nine years, and Jehovah appeareth unto Abram, and saith unto him, 'I [am] God Almighty, walk habitually before Me, and be thou perfect;

When Abram was 99, the Lord appeared to him and told him, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and don't do wrong.

2 and I give My covenant between Me and thee, and multiply thee very exceedingly.'

I will make my agreement between me and you, and I will give you many, many descendants.”

3 And Abram falleth upon his face, and God speaketh with him, saying,

Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, and God told him,

4 'I — lo, My covenant [is] with thee, and thou hast become father of a multitude of nations;

“Listen! This is the agreement I'm making with you. You will be the father of many nations,

5 and thy name is no more called Abram, but thy name hath been Abraham, for father of a multitude of nations have I made thee;

so your name won't be Abram any longer. Instead, your name will be Abraham because I'm going to make you the father of many nations.

6 and I have made thee exceeding fruitful, and made thee become nations, and kings go out from thee.

I will make sure you have a large number of descendants. They will become many nations, and some of their kings will also come from your line.

7 'And I have established My covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee, to their generations, for a covenant age-during, to become God to thee, and to thy seed after thee;

I promise to continue my agreement with you, and with your descendants who come after you, for generations to come. This is an eternal agreement. I will always be your God, and the God of your descendants.

8 and I have given to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, the whole land of Canaan, for a possession age-during, and I have become their God.'

I will give you and your descendants the whole country of Canaan—where you've been living as a foreigner—as land to own forever, and I will be their God.”

9 And God saith unto Abraham, 'And thou dost keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee, to their generations;

Then God told Abraham, “Your part is to keep my agreement—you and your descendants for generations to come.

10 this [is] My covenant which ye keep between Me and you, and thy seed after thee: Every male of you [is] to be circumcised;

This is my agreement with you and your descendants who come after you, the agreement you are to keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 and ye have circumcised the flesh of your foreskin, and it hath become a token of a covenant between Me and you.

You are to circumcise your foreskin, and this will be the sign of the agreement between me and you.

12 'And a son of eight days is circumcised by you; every male to your generations, born in the house, or bought with money from any son of a stranger, who is not of thy seed;

From now and for all generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised. This includes not only your sons but also those born in your household or bought from foreigners.

13 he is certainly circumcised who [is] born in thine house, or bought with thy money; and My covenant hath become in your flesh a covenant age-during;

You must circumcise those born in your household or bought from foreigners as a sign in your bodies of my eternal agreement.

14 and an uncircumcised one, a male, the flesh of whose foreskin is not circumcised, even that person hath been cut off from his people; My covenant he hath broken.'

Any uncircumcised male who refuses circumcision will be excluded from his people because he has broken my agreement.”

15 And God saith unto Abraham, 'Sarai thy wife — thou dost not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [is] her name;

Then God told Abraham, “Now about Sarai your wife. Don't call her Sarai any longer. Instead, her name will be Sarah.

16 and I have blessed her, and have also given to thee a son from her; and I have blessed her, and she hath become nations — kings of peoples are from her.'

I will bless her and I promise to give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will become the mother of nations, and kings will be among her descendants.”

17 And Abraham falleth upon his face, and laugheth, and saith in his heart, 'To the son of an hundred years is one born? or doth Sarah — daughter of ninety years — bear?'

Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground. But inside he was laughing, asking himself, “How on earth could I have a son at the age of one hundred? How could Sarah have a child when she is ninety?”

18 And Abraham saith unto God, 'O that Ishmael may live before Thee;'

Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael always live under your blessing!”

19 and God saith, 'Sarah thy wife is certainly bearing a son to thee, and thou hast called his name Isaac, and I have established My covenant with him, for a covenant age-during, to his seed after him.

“No, it's your wife Sarah who is going to have a son for you!” God replied. “You are to call him Isaac. I will keep my agreement with him and his descendants as an eternal agreement.

20 As to Ishmael, I have heard thee; lo, I have blessed him, and made him fruitful, and multiplied him, very exceedingly; twelve princes doth he beget, and I have made him become a great nation;

Now about Ishmael. I heard what you said, and I will also bless him. I will make sure he has a great many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 and My covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah doth bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year;'

But it's with Isaac that I will keep my agreement, the son Sarah will give birth to about this time next year.”

22 and He finisheth speaking with him, and God goeth up from Abraham.

When God had finished speaking with Abraham he left him.

23 And Abraham taketh Ishmael his son, and all those born in his house, and all those bought with his money — every male among the men of Abraham's house — and circumciseth the flesh of their foreskin, in this self-same day, as God hath spoken with him.

That day Abraham circumcised his son Ishmael as well as all those born in his household or purchased, in fact every male among the members of Abraham's household, just as God had told him.

24 And Abraham [is] a son of ninety and nine years in the flesh of his foreskin being circumcised;

Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised,

25 and Ishmael his son [is] a son of thirteen years in the flesh of his foreskin being circumcised;

and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

26 in this self-same day hath Abraham been circumcised, and Ishmael his son;

Both Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.

27 and all the men of his house — born in the house, and bought with money from the son of a stranger — have been circumcised with him.

All the males in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or purchased from foreigners, were circumcised with him.