17 Many years later when Avram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to him and said, “I’m the all-powerful God. Obey me and don’t disobey 2 and I’ll establish my agreement with you and will cause you to have very many descendants.” 3 Then Avram knelt down with his face to the ground and God told him, 4 “Listen, my agreement with you is that you’ll become the father of many nations, 5 so you’ll no longer be called ‘Avram’, but now your name will be ‘Avraham’ (which means ‘father of many nations’) because I’m making you the father of many nations.[ref] 6 I’ll make you and your descendants very fruitful so that they form nations and some of them will become kings.

7 I’ll establish my agreement with you and your future descendants for all the following generations. It will be an agreement that never ends, that I’ll be the your god and God of your future descendants.[ref] 8 I’ll give this land that you’re staying in—the entire region of Kena’an (Canaan)—to you and your descendants as a permanent possession,[ref] and I’ll be their god.”

9 Then God told Avraham, “For your part, you and your descendants after you throughout all their generations must follow the requirements of our agreement. 10 This is the agreement that you and all your future descendants are to follow: every male among you must be circumcised.[ref] 11 This removal of the foreskin will be a physical mark confirming the agreement between me and you. 12 All male babies must be circumcised when they’re eight days old. This includes all those born in your own house, as well as any that have been bought from foreigners even if they’re not your biological descendants. 13 Yes, they definitely must be circumcised either way if they’re born in your house or purchased as slaves. This way, my agreement will be manifested in your physical bodies as a never-ending agreement. 14 Any males who isn’t circumcised must be excluded from his people because he will have broken my agreement.”

15 God also told Avraham, “As for your wife Saray (Sarai), don’t call her Saray anymore, because from now on her name will be ‘Sarah’ 16 and I will bless her, and I’ll also give you a son from her. Yes, I’ll bless her and she’ll become the mother of nations—kings of peoples will come from her.”

17 Avraham fell to his knees and he laughed and said to himself, “How can a hundred year old man father a child? And what about Sarah who’s ninety-nine years old having a baby!” 18 Then Avraham said to God, “If only you’d bless Yishmael (Ishmael) as my heir.”

19 “No,” God replied, “It’ll be your wife Sarah who gives you a son, and you’ll name him ‘Yitshak’ (Isaac) (meaning ‘one who laughs’). I’ll establish my agreement with him as a never-ending commitment to him and his descendants. 20 But as for Yishmael, I’ve heard your request. Listen, I’ll bless him and make him fruitful and give him very many descendants. He’ll father twelve rulers and I’ll make him into a great nation, 21 however, my agreement will be established with Yitshak, who Sarah will give birth to by this time next year.” 22 Then having finished speaking with Avraham, God went up away from him.

23 ⇔Then Avraham took every male from his household and circumcised them that very day, just as God had instructed him. That included his son Yishmael, all those born in his house, and everyone bought with his money. 24 Avraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised 25 and his son Yishmael was thirteen years old when Avraham circumcised him. 26 So it was, on that same day, both Avraham and his son Yishmael were circumcised 27 and all the other males in his household, whether born there or bought from foreigners, were circumcised with him.