1.Mose 17,5 | New International Reader’s Version

The covenant of circumcision

1 When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him. He said, ‘I am the Mighty God. Walk faithfully with me. Live in a way that pleases me.

2 I will now act on my covenant between me and you. I will greatly increase the number of your children after you.’

3 Abram fell with his face to the ground. God said to him,

4 ‘This is my covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations.

5 You will not be called Abram anymore. Your name will be Abraham, because I have made you a father of many nations.

6 I will greatly increase the number of your children after you. Nations and kings will come from you.

7 I will make my covenant with you last for ever. It will be between me and you and your family after you for all time to come. I will be your God. And I will be the God of all your family after you.

8 You are now living in Canaan as an outsider. But I will give you the whole land of Canaan. You will own it for ever and so will all your family after you. And I will be their God.’

9 Then God said to Abraham, ‘You must keep my covenant. You and your family after you must keep it for all time to come.

10 Here is my covenant that you and your family after you must keep. You and every male among you must be circumcised.

11 That will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.

12 It must be done for all time to come. Every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised. That includes those who are born into your own family or outside it. It also includes those bought with money from a stranger.

13 So any male born into your family or bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant will last for ever. Your body will have the mark of my covenant on it.

14 Any male who has not been circumcised will be separated from his people. He has broken my covenant.’

15 God also said to Abraham, ‘Do not continue to call your wife by the name Sarai. Her name will be Sarah.

16 I will give her my blessing. You can be sure that I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. Kings of nations will come from her.’

17 Abraham fell with his face to the ground. He laughed and said to himself, ‘Can a 100-year-old man have a son? Can Sarah have a child at the age of 90?’

18 Abraham said to God, ‘I really wish Ishmael could receive your blessing!’

19 Then God said, ‘Yes, I will bless Ishmael. But your wife Sarah will have a son by you. And you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him. That covenant will last for ever. It will be for Isaac and his family after him.

20 I have heard what you said about Ishmael. I will surely bless him. I will make his family very large. He will be the father of 12 rulers. And I will make him into a great nation.

21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac. By this time next year, Sarah will have a son by you.’

22 When God had finished speaking with Abraham, God left him.

23 On that same day Abraham circumcised his son Ishmael. He also circumcised every male who was born into his family or bought with his money. He did exactly as God had told him.

24 Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised.

25 His son Ishmael was 13.

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

27 And every male in Abraham’s household was circumcised along with him. That included those born into his family or bought from a stranger.

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English Standard Version

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;* walk before me, and be blameless,

2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”

3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,

4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

5 No longer shall your name be called Abram,* but your name shall be Abraham,* for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.

7 And 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 of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

10 This 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 be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,

13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Isaac’s Birth Promised

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah* shall be her name.

16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give* you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.* I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

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

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those 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 Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

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