Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
Genesis 17
The Covenant and Abraham’s Name
When Abram was ninety-nine, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and multiply you greatly.”
Abram fell facedown, and God spoke to him: “As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will become the father of many nations. You will no longer be called Abram. Your name will be Abraham, because I have made you the father of many nations.
I will make you exceedingly fruitful. Nations will come from you, and kings will descend from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations: an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants. I will give you and your descendants the land where you live as a stranger—all of Canaan—as an everlasting possession. I will be their God.”
The Covenant’s Sign
God said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your descendants must keep my covenant throughout their generations. This is my covenant that you must keep, between me and you and your descendants: every male among you must be circumcised. You must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. This will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
Throughout your generations, every male among you must be circumcised at eight days old, including those born in the household and those bought from foreigners who are not your descendants. Both those born in your household and those bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
Any uncircumcised male whose foreskin has not been circumcised must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
Sarah and the Promised Son
God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you must no longer call her Sarai. Her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and give you a son through her. I will bless her: nations will come from her, and kings of peoples will descend from her.”
Abraham fell facedown and laughed. He said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man of a hundred? Can Sarah bear a child at ninety?”
Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live before you!”
God said, “Yes, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you must name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him, an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him, make him fruitful, and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve leaders, and I will make him a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this appointed time next year.”
When God finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
The Household Is Circumcised
That very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household, whether born there or bought with his money, and circumcised their foreskins, as God had told him.
Abraham was ninety-nine when he was circumcised. His son Ishmael was thirteen when he was circumcised.
Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that very day. All the males in his household, both those born there and those bought from foreigners, were circumcised with him.