Gen 17:1-23 | ESV | STEP | 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 ,

Genesis 17:1-23

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; ^{▼▼Hebrew El Shaddai} walk before me, and be ^bblameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and ^cmay multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram ^dfell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be ^ethe father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, ^{▼▼ Abram means exalted father} but ^gyour name shall be Abraham, ^{▼▼ Abraham means father of a multitude} ⁱfor I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make ^jyou into nations, and ^kkings shall come from you. 7 And I will ^lestablish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, ^mto be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And ⁿI will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and ^oI will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a ^psign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is ^qeight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or ^rbought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting 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.”

Isaac’s Birth Promised

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah ^{▼▼ Sarai and Sarah mean princess} shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will ^tgive ^{▼▼Hebrew have given} you a son by her. I will bless her, and ^vshe shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham ^wfell on his face ^xand 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 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but ^ySarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name ^zIsaac. ^{▼▼ Isaac means he laughs} I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and ^abmultiply him greatly. He ^acshall father twelve princes, and ^adI will make him into a great nation. 21 But ^aeI will establish my covenant with Isaac, ^afwhom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

22 When he had finished talking with him, ^agGod went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those 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.