Proof of the Covenant

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am ·God Almighty [^LEl Shaddai]. ·Obey [^LWalk before] me and ·do what is right [^Lbe innocent/blameless; Job 1:1]. ² I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] between ·us [^Lme and you], and I will make you ·the ancestor of many people [^Lexceedingly numerous].”

³ Then Abram ·bowed facedown on the ground [^Lfell on his face]. God said to him, ⁴ “I am making my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] with you: I will make you the father of ·many [^La host/multitude of] nations. ⁵ I am changing your name from Abram [^Cmeaning “exalted father”] to Abraham [^Csounds like “father of a multitude” in Hebrew] because I am making you a father of ·many [^La host/multitude of] nations. ⁶ I will ·give you many descendants [^Lcause you to be exceedingly fruitful; 1:22]. ·New nations will be born from you [^LI will make nations of you], and kings will come from you. ⁷ And I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] between me and you and all your ·descendants [^Lseed] ·from now on [or forever]: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. ⁸ You live in the land of Canaan now as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien], but I will give you and your ·descendants [^Lseed] all this land ·forever [^Las a permanent possesssion]. And I will be the God of your ·descendants [^Lseed].”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “You and your ·descendants [seed] must ·keep [obey; guard] this ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] ·from now on [^Lthroughout their generations]. ¹⁰ This is my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] with you and all your ·descendants [^Lseed], which you must ·obey [keep; guard]: Every male among you must be circumcised [^Cthe ritual of membership in the covenant/treaty]. ¹¹ ·Cut away [Circumcise] [^Lthe flesh of] your foreskin ·to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement [^Las a sign of the covenant/treaty] between me and you. ¹² ·From now on [^LThroughout your generations] when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any ·boy born among your people [^Lhouse-born slave] or any who is ·your slave [^Lbought with money from a foreigner], who is not one of your ·descendants [^Lseed]. ¹³ Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your ·family [^Lhouse] or bought ·as a slave [^Lwith money from a foreigner]. ·Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement [^L…so that my covenant/treaty might be in your flesh as a covenant/treaty] that lasts forever. ¹⁴ Any [^Luncircumcised] male ·who [^Lwhose foreskin] is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18].”

Isaac—the Promised Son

¹⁵ God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai [^Cmeaning “princess” in her native dialect; 11:29], your wife, to Sarah [^Calso meaning “princess,” but in a dialect of Canaan, signifying her transition to the Promised Land]. ¹⁶ I will bless her and give ·her a son, and you will be the father [^Lfrom her to you a son]. She will ·be the mother of [give rise to] many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham ·bowed facedown on the ground [^Lfell on his face] and laughed. He ·said to himself [thought; ^Lsaid in his heart], “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?” ¹⁸ Then Abraham said to God, “Please let Ishmael ·be the son you promised [^Llive before you].”

¹⁹ God said, “·No, [or Yes, but] Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac [^Crelated to the verb meaning “to laugh”]. I will make my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] with him to be an ·agreement that continues forever [eternal covenant/treaty] with all his ·descendants [^Lseed].

²⁰ “As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and ·give him many descendants [^Lmake him fruitful]. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great ·leaders [princes; chiefs; 25:16], and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But I will make my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year.” ²² After ·God [^Lhe] finished talking with Abraham, God ·rose and left him [^Lwent up from Abraham].

²³ Then Abraham ·gathered [^Ltook] Ishmael, all the males ·born in his camp [^Lof his house], and ·the slaves he had bought [^Lthose bought with money]. So that day Abraham circumcised [^Lthe flesh of his foreskin of] every man and boy in his camp as God had told him to do. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he ·was circumcised [^Lcircumcised the flesh of his foreskin]. ²⁵ And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised [^Lin the flesh of his foreskin]. ²⁶ Abraham and his son were circumcised on the same day. ²⁷ Also on that day all the men in Abraham’s camp were circumcised, including all those born in his ·camp [^Lhouse] and all ·the slaves he had bought from other nations [^Lall those bought of a stranger].