Genesis 17
Christian Standard Bible
Covenant Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty.(A) Live[a] in my presence and be blameless.(B) 2 I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram;[b] your name will be Abraham,[c] for I will make you the father of many nations.(C) 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7 I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant(D) to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.(E) 8 And to you and your future offspring[d](F) I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession,(G) and I will be their God.”
9 God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant. 10 This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you, which you are to keep: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you.[e](H) 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised(I) at eight days old—every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or purchased, he must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as a permanent covenant. 14 If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah[f] will be her name. 16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her.(J) I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed(K) and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable[g] to you!”
19 But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.[h] I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders,(L) and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”(M) 22 When he finished talking with him, God withdrew[i] from Abraham.(N)
23 So Abraham took his son Ishmael and those born in his household or purchased—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 26 On that very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his household—whether born in his household or purchased from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.
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Genesis 17
Lexham English Bible
Abram and Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant
17 When[a] Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, “I am El-Shaddai;[b] walk before me and be blameless 2 so that[c] I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you exceedingly.”[d] 3 Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying, 4 “As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you exceedingly[e] fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you are living as an alien,[f] all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.”
9 And God said to Abraham, “Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you, and also with[g] your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 And at eight days of age[h] you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner[i] who is not from your offspring. 13 You must certainly circumcise[j] the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner.[k] And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 And as for any uncircumcised male who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his[l] people. He has broken my covenant. 15 And God said to Abraham, “as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her; moreover, I give to you from her a son. And I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations.[m] Kings of peoples shall come[n] from her.” 17 And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, “Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old,[o] or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?”[p] 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 And God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly.[q] He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year.” 22 When[r] he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all those acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner,[s] were circumcised with him.
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- Genesis 17:1 Literally “And it happened that”
- Genesis 17:1 Often translated, “God Almighty”
- Genesis 17:2 Or “and”
- Genesis 17:2 Literally “with very very”
- Genesis 17:6 Literally “with very very”
- Genesis 17:8 Literally “a land of your sojournings”
- Genesis 17:10 Or “between”
- Genesis 17:12 Literally “a son of eight days”
- Genesis 17:12 Literally “those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner”
- Genesis 17:13 Literally “circumcising you will circumcise”
- Genesis 17:13 Literally “those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner”
- Genesis 17:14 Literally “her”; the reference is still to a male; the pronoun is feminine because “person” (nephesh) is grammatically feminine
- Genesis 17:16 Literally “she shall become to nations”
- Genesis 17:16 Or “be”
- Genesis 17:17 Literally “to a man one hundred years old can he be born?”
- Genesis 17:17 Literally “can ninety-year-old Sarah bear a child?”
- Genesis 17:20 Literally “with very very”
- Genesis 17:22 Or “And”
- Genesis 17:27 Literally “born of house and acquisition of money from the son of a foreigner”
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