Genesis 17

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

1Abram was ninety-nine years old. The LORD came to him and said, "I am God Almighty, the strongest of all. Live your life close to me. Do what is right."

2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

2"I will make an agreement with you, a promise between you and me. I will give you a very large family."

3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

3Abram bowed down with his face to the ground. God kept talking to him.

4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

4God said, "Here is my part of the promise. You will be the father of many nations."

5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

5"People will not call you Abram anymore. Your name will now be Abraham. That is because I have made you the father of many nations."

6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

6"Your family will grow and grow. Whole nations will come from you. Some of your family will be kings."

7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

7"My promise is between me and you and your children after you. It will last forever, family after family. I will be your God, and their God too."

8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

8"You live in the land of Canaan now, but it is not yours. I will give all of it to you and your children forever. And I will be their God."

9And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

9Then God said to Abraham, "You must keep your part of the promise. Your children and their children must keep it too."

10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

10"Here is what you must do to keep my promise. Every boy and man among you must be circumcised."

NoteTo be circumcised means a small fold of skin is cut off a boy's body. It leaves a mark that stays. God asked for it as the sign of this promise.

11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

11"A small fold of skin is cut off the body. This will be the sign of the promise between me and you."

12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

12"Do this to every baby boy when he is eight days old. Do it in every family, always. Do it for boys born in your house, and for servants you bought from strangers."

13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

13"Every boy born in your house must be circumcised. So must every boy you bought. This mark on your body shows my promise that lasts forever."

14And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

14"If a boy or man is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people. He has broken my promise."

15And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

15God also said to Abraham, "Do not call your wife Sarai anymore. Her name will now be Sarah."

16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

16"I will be good to her. I will give you a son through her. Whole nations will come from her, and some of her family will be kings."

17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and 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?

17Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed. He thought, "Can a man of a hundred have a baby? Can Sarah have a baby at ninety?"

18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

18Then Abraham said to God, "Please let Ishmael live and be blessed by you!"

19And God said, 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 everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

19God said, "No, your wife Sarah really will have a son. Name him Isaac. I will keep my promise with him and his children forever."

20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

20"I have heard what you asked about Ishmael. I will be good to him. His family will grow very large. He will have twelve sons who become rulers, and he will become a great nation."

21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

21"But my promise will go on through Isaac. Sarah will give birth to him at this same time next year."

22And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

22When God finished talking with Abraham, he went up and away from him.

23And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

23That very same day, Abraham did what God said. He circumcised his son Ishmael. He circumcised every male in his house, both those born there and those he had bought.

24And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.

25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25His son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.

26In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

26Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on the same day.

27And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

27Every man in his house was circumcised with him. That included men born in his house and men bought from strangers.