1And after he began to be ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to him: and said unto him: I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be perfect.

2And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.

3Abram tell flat on his face.

4And God said to him: I AM, And my covenant is with thee; and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

5Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram. But thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations.

6And I will make thee increase, exceedingly: and I will make nations of thee; and kings shall come out of thee.

7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy seed after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession: and I will be their God.

9Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10This is my covenant which you shall observe, between me and you, and thy seed after thee: All the male kind of you shall be circumcised.

11And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin: that it may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.

12An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations. He that is born in the house, as well as the bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock.

13And my covenant shall be in your flesh, for a perpetual covenant.

14The male, whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.

15God said also to Abraham: Sarai, thy wife, thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.

16And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless: and he shell become nations, and kings of people shall spring from him.

17Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth?

18And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.

19And God said to Abraham: Sara, thy wife, shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him for a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him.

20And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.

21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.

22And when he had left off speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.

23And Abraham took Ismael his son, and all that were born in his house; and all whom he had bought, every male among the men of his house. And he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin forthwith the very same day, as God had commanded him.

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

25And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circumcision.

26The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ismael his son.

27And all the men of his house, as well they that were born in his house, as the bought servants and strangers were circumcised with him.

An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

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Genesis 17

Abraham to Father Many Nations

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty.#17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai Walk before Me and be blameless. 2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram,#17:5 Abram means exalted father. but your name will be Abraham,#17:5 Abraham means father of many. for I have made you a father of many nations.#17:5 Cited in Romans 4:17

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

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.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

9God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you. 10This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and 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. 13Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.

14But if any male is not circumcised, he will 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.#17:15 Both Sarai and Sarah mean princess; the change in spelling may reflect the difference in dialect between Ur and Canaan. 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.”

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

19But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac.#17:19 Isaac means he laughs. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants 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. 21But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

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

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.

24So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 27And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.

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Genesis 17

Genesis 17