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)”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(V) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^{(W) 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.^{(X) 11} You are to undergo circumcision,^(Y) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(Z) between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come^(AA) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(AB) 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.^(AC) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^{(AD) 14} Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(AE) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(AF) he has broken my covenant.^(AG)”

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

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

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,^(AR) and you will call him Isaac.^[d](AS) I will establish my covenant with him^(AT) as an everlasting covenant^(AU) 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.^(AV) He will be the father of twelve rulers,^(AW) and I will make him into a great nation.^{(AX) 21} But my covenant^(AY) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you^(AZ) by this time next year.”^{(BA) 22} When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^(BB)

²³ On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household^(BC) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.^{(BD) 24} Abraham was ninety-nine years old^(BE) when he was circumcised,^{(BF) 25} and his son Ishmael^(BG) was thirteen; ²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ And every male in Abraham’s household^(BH), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham^(BI) near the great trees of Mamre^(BJ) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent^(BK) in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up^(BL) and saw three men^(BM) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.^(BN)

³ He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(BO) my lord,^[e] do not pass your servant^(BP) by. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet^(BQ) and rest under this tree. ⁵ Let me get you something to eat,^(BR) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs^[f] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”^(BS)

⁷ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf^(BT) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He then brought some curds^(BU) and milk^(BV) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.^(BW) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?”^(BX) they asked him.

“There, in the tent,^(BY)” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,^(BZ) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”^(CA)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old,^(CB) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.^{(CC) 12} So Sarah laughed^(CD) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord^(CE) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’^{(CF) 14} Is anything too hard for the Lord?^(CG) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,^(CH) and Sarah will have a son.”^(CI)

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

The Birth of Isaac

21 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah^(A) as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.^{(B) 2} Sarah became pregnant and bore a son^(C) to Abraham in his old age,^(D) at the very time God had promised him.^{(E) 3} Abraham gave the name Isaac^[a](F) to the son Sarah bore him. ⁴ When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,^(G) as God commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old^(H) when his son Isaac was born to him.

⁶ Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter,^(I) and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”^(J)

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

⁸ The child grew and was weaned,^(K) and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹ But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham^(L) was mocking,^{(M) 10} and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman^(N) and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”^(O)

¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.^{(P) 12} But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^[b] will be reckoned.^{(Q) 13} I will make the son of the slave into a nation^(R) also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar.^(S) He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.^(T)

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she^[c] began to sob.^(U)

¹⁷ God heard the boy crying,^(V) and the angel of God^(W) called to Hagar from heaven^(X) and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid;^(Y) God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.^(Z)”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes^(AA) and she saw a well of water.^(AB) So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ God was with the boy^(AC) as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. ²¹ While he was living in the Desert of Paran,^(AD) his mother got a wife for him^(AE) from Egypt.

The Treaty at Beersheba

²² At that time Abimelek^(AF) and Phicol the commander of his forces^(AG) said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.^{(AH) 23} Now swear^(AI) to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants.^(AJ) Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”^(AK)

²⁴ Abraham said, “I swear it.”

²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.^{(AL) 26} But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”

²⁷ So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.^{(AM) 28} Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, ²⁹ and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

³⁰ He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness^(AN) that I dug this well.^(AO)”

³¹ So that place was called Beersheba,^[d](AP) because the two men swore an oath^(AQ) there.

³² After the treaty^(AR) had been made at Beersheba,^(AS) Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces^(AT) returned to the land of the Philistines.^{(AU) 33} Abraham planted a tamarisk tree^(AV) in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord,^(AW) the Eternal God.^{(AX) 34} And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines^(AY) for a long time.

Abraham Tested

22 Some time later God tested^(AZ) Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,”^(BA) he replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son^(BB), your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.^(BC) Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering^(BD) on a mountain I will show you.^(BE)”

³ Early the next morning^(BF) Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.^(BG)”

⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac,^(BH) and he himself carried the fire and the knife.^(BI) As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb^(BJ) for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide^(BK) the lamb^(BL) for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about,^(BM) Abraham built an altar^(BN) there and arranged the wood^(BO) on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,^(BP) on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife^(BQ) to slay his son.^{(BR) 11} But the angel of the Lord^(BS) called out to him from heaven,^(BT) “Abraham! Abraham!”^(BU)

“Here I am,”^(BV) he replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,^(BW) because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.^(BX)”

¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram^[e] caught by its horns.^(BY) He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.^{(BZ) 14} So Abraham called^(CA) that place The Lord^(CB) Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.^(CC)”

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord^(CD) called to Abraham from heaven^(CE) a second time ¹⁶ and said, “I swear by myself,^(CF) declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,^{(CG) 17} I will surely bless you^(CH) and make your descendants^(CI) as numerous as the stars in the sky^(CJ) and as the sand on the seashore.^(CK) Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,^{(CL) 18} and through your offspring^[f] all nations on earth will be blessed,^[g](CM) because you have obeyed me.”^(CN)

¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.^(CO) And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.