More Details about God’s Covenant with Abram, including Circumcision

17:1-27

17 Then Abram was a son of ninety-nine years, and Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be without blemish. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you very greatly.”

3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying, 4 “As for me, behold, my covenant with you is that you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 And your name will not be called Abram anymore, but your name will be Abraham, because I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you very, very fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations as an eternal 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 of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession, and I will be God to them.”

9 Then God said to Abraham, “And you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant which you must keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11 Indeed, you must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 So a son of eight days must be circumcised, every male among you throughout your generations, the one born in your house and the one bought with money from any son of a foreigner, who is not your offspring. 13 He must surely be circumcised, the one born in your house and the one bought with your money. So my covenant will be in your flesh as an eternal covenant. 14 And as for an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, indeed that person must be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her name Sarai, because her name will be Sarah. 16 And I will bless her, and I will also give to you a son from her. Indeed I will bless her and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face, and he laughed and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a son of 100 years? And will Sarah who is a daughter of ninety years bear a child?” 18 Then Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live before you!” 19 Then God said, “No, Sarah your wife is bearing a son for you, and you will call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for 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 multiply him very greatly. He will father twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 However, my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear for you by this time in the next year.” 22 Then he finished speaking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house and everyone bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, just as God had told him. 24 And Abraham was a son of 99 years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, 25 and Ishmael his son was a son of thirteen years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 On that very day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the males of his house, the one born in his house and the one bought with money from the son of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.