Genesis, 17

1. When Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to him and said, 'I am El Shaddai. Live in my presence, be perfect,

1. 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.

2. and I shall grant a covenant between myself and you, and make you very numerous.'

2. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."

3. And Abram bowed to the ground. God spoke to him as follows,

3. Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,

4. 'For my part, this is my covenant with you: you will become the father of many nations.

4. "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

5. And you are no longer to be called Abram; your name is to be Abraham, for I am making you father of many nations.

5. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6. I shall make you exceedingly fertile. I shall make you into nations, and your issue will be kings.

6. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you.

7. And I shall maintain my covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, as a covenant in perpetuity, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

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

8. And to you and to your descendants after you, I shall give the country where you are now immigrants, the entire land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity. And I shall be their God.'

8. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

9. God further said to Abraham, 'You for your part must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.

9. And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10. This is my covenant which you must keep between myself and you, and your descendants after you: every one of your males must be circumcised.

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

11. You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that will be the sign of the covenant between myself and you.

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

12. As soon as he is eight days old, every one of your males, generation after generation, must be circumcised, including slaves born within the household or bought from a foreigner not of your descent.

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

13. Whether born within the household or bought, they must be circumcised. My covenant must be marked in your flesh as a covenant in perpetuity.

13. both he that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money, shall be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

14. The uncircumcised male, whose foreskin has not been circumcised -- that person must be cut off from his people: he has broken my covenant.'

14. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."

15. Furthermore God said to Abraham, 'As regards your wife Sarai, you must not call her Sarai, but Sarah.

15. And God said to Abraham, "As for Sar'ai your wife, you shall not call her name Sar'ai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16. I shall bless her and moreover give you a son by her. I shall bless her and she will become nations: kings of peoples will issue from her.'

16. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her; I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."

17. Abraham bowed to the ground, and he laughed, thinking to himself, 'Is a child to be born to a man one hundred years old, and will Sarah have a child at the age of ninety?'

17. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

18. Abraham said to God, 'May Ishmael live in your presence! That will be enough!'

18. And Abraham said to God, "O that Ish'mael might live in thy sight!"

19. But God replied, 'Yes, your wife Sarah will bear you a son whom you must name Isaac. And I shall maintain my covenant with him, a covenant in perpetuity, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him.

19. God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

20. For Ishmael too I grant you your request. I hereby bless him and will make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I shall make him into a great nation.

20. As for Ish'mael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

21. But my covenant I shall maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear you at this time next year.'

21. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year."

22. When he had finished speaking to Abraham, God went up from him.

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

23. Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, all the slaves born in his household or whom he had bought, in short all the males among the people of Abraham's household, and circumcised their foreskins that same day, as God had said to him.

23. Then Abraham took Ish'mael his son and all the slaves born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him.

24. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when his foreskin was circumcised.

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

25. Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when his foreskin was circumcised.

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

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

26. That very day Abraham and his son Ish'mael were circumcised;

27. and all the men of his household, those born in the household and those bought from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

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