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

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(O) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^{(P) 10} This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^{(Q) 11} You are to undergo circumcision,^(R) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(S) between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come^(T) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(U) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.^(V) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^{(W) 14} Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(X) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(Y) he has broken my covenant.^(Z)”

⁸ Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.^(A) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.^(B) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,^(C) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.^(D)

God’s Faithfulness

3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?

¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.^(A) So then, he is the father^(B) of all who believe^(C) but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[a](A) 8} In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,^(B) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.^{(C) 9} For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”^[b](D)

¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.^{(E) 11} Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad^(F)—in order that God’s purpose^(G) in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”^{[c](H) 13} Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^[d](I)

³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.^(A)