Genesis 17–18

The Sign of the Covenant

¹⁷When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;^a walk before me, and be blameless.^{* 2}And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous.”^{* 3}Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, ⁴“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.^{* 5}No longer shall your name be Abram,^b but your name shall be Abraham,^c for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.^{* 6}I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.^{* 7}I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.^{* 8}And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God.”^*

⁹God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^{* 11}You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.^{* 12}Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.^{* 13}Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”^*

¹⁵God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”^{* 17}Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”^{* 18}And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live in your sight!” ¹⁹God said, “No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac.^d I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.^{* 20}As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of 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 season next year.” ²²And when he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

²³Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very 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 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised, ²⁷and all the men of his house, slaves born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

A Son Promised to Abraham and Sarah

¹⁸The Lord appeared to Abraham^e by the oaks^f of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.^{* 2}He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them and bowed down to the ground.^{* 3}He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. ⁴Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.^{* 5}Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”^{* 6}And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, “Make ready quickly three measures^g of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” ⁷Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. ⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.^*

⁹They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.^{* 11}Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.^{* 12}So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I be fruitful?”^{* 13}The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.”^{* 15}But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Judgment Pronounced on Sodom

¹⁶Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. ¹⁷The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?^{h* 19}No, for I have chosenⁱ him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”^{* 20}Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!^{* 21}I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me, and if not, I will know.”^*

²²So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{j* 23}Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{* 24}Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?^{* 25}Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”^{* 26}And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” ²⁷Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to my lord, I who am but dust and ashes.^{* 28}Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” ³⁰Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” ³¹He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to my lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” ³²Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”^{* 33}And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.