Genesis 17

Modern

Literal

Abraham to Father Many Nations

¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty.^a Walk before Me and be blameless.

¹And Abram was a son of ninety years and nine years, and YHWH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El-Shaddai; walk before Me and be blameless.

²I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

²And I will make My covenant between Me and between you, and I will multiply you greatly, greatly.”

³Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,

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

⁴“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.

⁴“As for me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

⁵No longer will you be called Abram,^a but your name will be Abraham,^b for I have made you a father of many nations.^c

⁵And your name shall no longer be called Abram, and your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

⁶I will make you fruitful—greatly, greatly—and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come out from you.

⁷I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

⁷And I will establish My covenant between Me and between you and between your seed after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you, and to your seed after you.

⁸And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

⁸And I give to you and to your seed after you the land in which you are a sojourner—all the land of Canaan—as an everlasting possession. And I will be their God.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

⁹God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you.

⁹And God said to Abraham, “And as for you, you shall keep My covenant—you and your seed after you, throughout their generations.

¹⁰This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.

¹⁰This is My covenant, which you shall keep between Me, and between you, and between your seed after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised.

¹¹You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

¹¹And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and between you.

¹²Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.

¹²And a son of eight days among you shall be circumcised—every male child in your generations who is born in your house or bought with silver from any son of a foreigner who is not of your seed.

¹³Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.

¹³And he must surely be circumcised—he who is born in your house, or he who is bought with your silver. And My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

¹⁴But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁴And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, the soul of that one shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.^a

¹⁵And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah is her name.

¹⁶And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

¹⁶And I will bless her, and also I have given to you a son by her. And I have blessed her, and she has become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

¹⁷Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”

¹⁷And Abraham fell on his face, and he laughed, and he said in his heart, “To a son of a hundred years shall a child be born? Or shall Sarah, a daughter of ninety years, bear a child?”

¹⁸And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”

¹⁸And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live before You!”

¹⁹But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac.^a I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

¹⁹And God said, “Sarah your wife surely will bear to you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

²⁰As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

²⁰And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly, greatly. Two and ten princes He shall beget, and I will make him into a great nation.

²¹But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

²¹And I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time in the next year.”

²²When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

²²And He finished speaking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

²³On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.

²³And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his silver—every male among the men in the house of Abraham—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, as God had spoken with him.

²⁴So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,

²⁴And Abraham was a son of ninety-nine years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁵and his son Ishmael was thirteen;

²⁵And Ishmael his son was a son of three and ten years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁶Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.

²⁶And on that very day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son,

²⁷And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.

²⁷and all the men of his house—born in the house or bought with silver from a son of a foreigner—were circumcised with him.