The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 17 -

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram again and said to him, “I am God Almighty. I want you to live your life in the way that I want. I want you to not do anything wrong.

I will confirm my covenant between us, and I will cause you to have a very great number of descendants.”

Abram bowed down with his face on the ground. Then God said to him,

“Listen to this! This is the covenant I am making with you: You will be the father of many groups of people.

Your name will be Abram no longer. Instead, your name will be Abraham, because I will make you the father of many groups of people.

I will cause you to have very, very many descendants, and I will cause nations and kings to be among them.

I will make this covenant between me and you and the generations of your descendants after you forever. Because of this covenant, you will worship and follow me as God, and so will your descendants.

I will give to you and to your descendants the land of Canaan, the whole land of Canaan, where you are now living. It will be an everlasting possession for them, and I will be their God.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

Then God said to Abraham, “Now you must keep your part of the covenant that I am making with you, and your descendants must also obey it, for all generations.

This is a requirement of the covenant that I am making between myself and you and all your descendants: Every male among you must be circumcised.

Cutting the foreskins of them will be the sign that you have accepted the covenant that I am making with you.

Every male child among you must be circumcised when he is eight days old, in all future generations. That includes baby boys in your household and those born from slaves that have been bought, and foreigners who live among you but do not belong to your household.

It does not matter whether their parents are members of your household or slaves that you have bought; they must all be circumcised. Your bodies will have this mark to show you have accepted this everlasting covenant that I am making.

You must drive out from your community any male who has not been circumcised, because that person has disobeyed my covenant.”

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai, your wife, you must not call her Sarai any longer. I will change her name also. Her name will now be Sarah.

I will bless her, and she will surely give birth to a son for you. And I will bless her so much that she will be the ancestor of people of many nations. Kings and people groups will be descended from her.”

Abraham lay down with his face on the ground in respect before God. But then he laughed as he said to himself, “Can a man who is a hundred years old become a father of a son? And since Sarah is ninety years old, how can she bear a child?”

Then Abraham said to God, “Perhaps you will let Ishmael receive your blessing and inherit all I possess.”

Then God replied, “No! Your wife Sarah will bear a son for you. You must name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him, one that will be an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants.

As for Ishmael, I have heard what you asked me to do for him. I will bless him so that he also will have many descendants. Among his descendants will be the leaders of twelve tribes. And I will cause his descendants to become a great nation.

But it is with Isaac that I will establish my covenant, Isaac, the son whom Sarah will give birth to at this time next year.”

When God finished talking to Abraham, God disappeared from his sight.

On that same day, Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the males that were in his household, including the sons of all the slaves he had bought, and circumcised them. He cut off their foreskins, just as God told him to do.

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,

and Ishmael was thirteen years old when Abraham circumcised him.

It was on that very same day that Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

All the males in his household, the ones who had been born there and those Abraham had bought from foreigners, were also circumcised.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.

Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you.

I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you.

He who is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.

He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.

I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.”

Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?”

Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac.(a) I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”

When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

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 foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

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

In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.

All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Footnotes

(a)17:19 Isaac means “he laughs”.