Genesis 17

1 And Abram was ninety-nine years old, when Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I [am] the Almighty God: walk before my face, and be 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 will set my covenant between me and thee, and will very greatly multiply thee.

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

3 And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying,

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

4 It is I: behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a 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 shall no more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a 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 will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of 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 will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a 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 give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be a God to them.

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 said to Abraham, And [as for] thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee in 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 shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee — that every male among you 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 shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and [that] shall be a sign of the 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 at eight days old shall every male in your generations be circumcised among you — he who is born in the house, and he who is bought with money, any 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 who is born in thy house, and he who is bought with thy money, must be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

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

14 And the uncircumcised male who hath not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples: he hath broken my covenant.

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

15 And God said to Abraham, [As to] Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be 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 will bless her, and I will give thee a son also of her; and I will bless her, and she shall become nations: kings of peoples shall be of 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 fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, 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 said to God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!

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

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall indeed bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him, for an everlasting covenant for 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 And for Ishmael I have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him 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 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall 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 left off talking with him; and God went up from Abraham.

When God had finished speaking with Abraham he left him.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money — every male among the people of Abraham's house — and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that same day, as God had said to 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 was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised,

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

and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham 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 his house, or bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

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