The Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,^(A) the Lord appeared to him^(B) and said, “I am God Almighty^[a];^(C) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.^{(D) 2} Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(E) and will greatly increase your numbers.”^(F)

³ Abram fell facedown,^(G) and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you:^(H) You will be the father of many nations.^{(I) 5} No longer will you be called Abram^[b]; your name will be Abraham,^[c](J) for I have made you a father of many nations.^{(K) 6} I will make you very fruitful;^(L) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^{(M) 7} I will establish my covenant^(N) as an everlasting covenant^(O) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God^(P) and the God of your descendants after you.^{(Q) 8} The whole land of Canaan,^(R) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(S) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;^(T) and I will be their God.^(U)”

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai^(A) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.^{(B) 16} I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.^(C) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;^(D) kings of peoples will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown;^(E) he laughed^(F) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?^(G) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”^{(H) 18} And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael^(I) might live under your blessing!”^(J)

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,^(K) and you will call him Isaac.^[a](L) I will establish my covenant with him^(M) as an everlasting covenant^(N) for his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.^(O) He will be the father of twelve rulers,^(P) and I will make him into a great nation.^{(Q) 21} But my covenant^(R) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you^(S) by this time next year.”^{(T) 22} When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^(U)