Genesis 17
1599 Geneva Bible
17 5 Abram’s name is changed to confirm him in the promise. 8 The land of Canaan is the fifth time promised. 12 Circumcision instituted. 15 Sarai is named Sarah. 18 Abraham prayeth for Ishmael. 19 Isaac is promised. 23 Abraham and his house are circumcised.
1 When Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God [a]all sufficient, (A)walk before me, and be thou [b]upright,
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 Behold, I make my covenant with thee, and thou shalt be a [c]father of many nations,
5 Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be [d]Abraham: (B)for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 Also I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and will make nations of thee, yea, Kings shall proceed of thee.
7 Moreover, I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an (C)everlasting covenant, to be God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give thee and thy seed after thee the land, wherein thou art a stranger, even all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.
9 ¶ Again God said unto Abraham, Thou also shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 [e]This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee, (D)Let every man-child among you be circumcised:
11 That is, ye shall circumcise the [f]foreskin of your flesh, and it shall be a (E)sign of the covenant between me and you.
12 And every man-child of eight days old among you, shall be circumcised in your generations, as well he that is born in thine house, as he that is bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thine house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: so my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 But the uncircumcised [g]man-child, in whose flesh the foreskin is not circumcised, even that person shall be cut off from his people, because he hath broken my covenant.
15 ¶ Afterward God said unto Abraham, Sarai thy wife shalt thou not call Sarai, but [h]Sarah shall be her name.
16 And I will bless her, and will also give thee a son of her, yea, I will bless her, and she shall be the mother of nations: Kings also of people shall come of her.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and [i]laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him, that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah that is ninety years old, bear?
18 And Abraham said unto God, Oh, that Ishmael might live in thy sight.
19 Then God said, (F)Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an [j]everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as concerning Ishmael, I have heard thee: lo, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him [k]exceedingly: twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make a great nation of him.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee, the next (G)year at this season.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 ¶ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that was bought with his money, that is, every man-child among the men of Abraham’s house, and [l]he circumcised the foreskin of their flesh in that selfsame day, as God had commanded him.
24 Abraham also himself was ninety years old and nine, when the foreskin of his flesh was circumcised.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when the foreskin of his flesh was circumcised.
26 The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son:
27 And all the men of his house both born in his house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 17:1 Or, Almighty.
- Genesis 17:1 Or, without hypocrisy.
- Genesis 17:4 Not only according to the flesh, but of a far greater multitude by faith, Rom. 4:17.
- Genesis 17:5 The changing of his name is a seal to confirm God’s promise unto him.
- Genesis 17:10 Circumcision is called the covenant, because it signifieth the covenant, and hath the promise of grace joined unto it: which phrase is common to all Sacraments.
- Genesis 17:11 That privy part is circumcised, to show that all that is begotten of man is corrupt, and must be mortified.
- Genesis 17:14 Albeit women were not circumcised, yet were they partakers of God’s promise: for under the mankind all was consecrated, and here is declared, that whosoever contemneth the sign, despiseth also the promise.
- Genesis 17:15 Or, dame, or princess.
- Genesis 17:17 Which proceeded of a sudden joy, and not of infidelity.
- Genesis 17:19 The everlasting Covenant is made with the children of the Spirit: and with the children of the flesh is made the temporal promise, as was promised to Ishmael.
- Genesis 17:20 Hebrew, greatly, greatly.
- Genesis 17:23 They were well instructed which obeyed to be circumcised without resistance: which thing declareth that masters in their houses ought to be as preachers to their families, that from the highest to the lowest they may obey the will of God.
Genesis 17
New King James Version
The Sign of the Covenant(A)
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord (B)appeared to Abram and said to him, (C)“I am [a]Almighty God; (D)walk before Me and be (E)blameless. 2 And I will make My (F)covenant between Me and you, and (G)will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be (H)a father of [b]many nations. 5 No longer shall (I)your name be called [c]Abram, but your name shall be [d]Abraham; (J)for I have made you a father of [e]many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make (K)nations of you, and (L)kings shall come from you. 7 And I will (M)establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, (N)to be God to you and (O)your descendants after you. 8 Also (P)I give to you and your descendants after you the land (Q)in[f] which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and (R)I will be their God.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, (S)you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: (T)Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be (U)a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you (V)shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person (W)shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but [g]Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her (X)and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother (Y)of nations; (Z)kings of peoples shall be from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face (AA)and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham (AB)said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 Then God said: “No, (AC)Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My (AD)covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and (AE)will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget (AF)twelve princes, (AG)and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My (AH)covenant I will establish with Isaac, (AI)whom Sarah shall bear to you at this (AJ)set time next year.” 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and (AK)all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 17:1 Heb. El Shaddai
- Genesis 17:4 Lit. a multitude of nations
- Genesis 17:5 Lit. Exalted Father
- Genesis 17:5 Lit. Father of a Multitude
- Genesis 17:5 a multitude of
- Genesis 17:8 Lit. of your sojournings
- Genesis 17:15 Lit. Princess
Genesis 17
New Century Version
Proof of the Agreement
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right. 2 I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people.”
3 Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him, 4 “I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations. 5 I am changing your name from Abram[a] to Abraham[b] because I am making you a father of many nations. 6 I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you. 7 And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. 8 You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “You and your descendants must keep this agreement from now on. 10 This is my agreement with you and all your descendants, which you must obey: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11 Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you. 12 From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave, who is not one of your descendants. 13 Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever. 14 Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my agreement.”
Isaac—the Promised Son
15 God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai,[c] your wife, to Sarah.[d] 16 I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”
17 Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, “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.”
19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac.[e] I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.
20 “As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year.” 22 After God finished talking with Abraham, God rose and left him.
23 Then Abraham gathered Ishmael, all the males born in his camp, and the slaves he had bought. So that day Abraham circumcised 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. 25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised. 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 and all the slaves he had bought from other nations.
Footnotes
- 17:5 Abram This name means “honored father.”
- 17:5 Abraham The end of the Hebrew word for “Abraham” sounds like the beginning of the Hebrew word for “many.”
- 17:15 Sarai An Aramaic name meaning “princess.”
- 17:15 Sarah A Hebrew name meaning “princess.”
- 17:19 Isaac The Hebrew words for “he laughed” (v. 17) and “Isaac” sound the same.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.