The Sign of the Covenant

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord aappeared to Abram and said to him, b“I am 1Almighty God; cwalk before Me and be dblameless. 2 And I will make My ecovenant between Me and you, and fwill 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 ga father of 2many nations. 5 No longer shall hyour name be called 3Abram, but your name shall be 4Abraham; ifor I have made you a father of 5many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make jnations of you, and kkings shall come from you. 7 And I will lestablish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, mto be God to you and nyour descendants after you. 8 Also oI give to you and your descendants after you the land pin 6which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and qI will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, ryou 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: sEvery male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be ta sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you ushall 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 vshall 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 7Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her wand also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother xof nations; ykings of peoples shall be from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face zand 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 asaid to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19 Then God said: “No, bSarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My ccovenant 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 dwill multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget etwelve princes, fand I will make him a great nation. 21 But My gcovenant I will establish with Isaac, hwhom Sarah shall bear to you at this iset 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 jall the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.