Genesis 17

17 ¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, our Father appeared to him and said, "I am El Shaddai—your Father Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless. ^a a v1 El Shaddai means "God Almighty." At the threshold of the covenant promise, our Father reveals himself by this name — the Almighty who alone can give Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. ²And I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly."

³Then Abram fell on his face, and our Father spoke with him, saying:

⁴"As for me, my covenant is with you, and you will become father of a multitude of nations. ⁵Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, for I have made you father of a multitude of nations. ⁶I will make you extremely fruitful; I will turn you into many nations, and kings will come from you. ⁷I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you, for all generations—an everlasting covenant—to be Father to you and your descendants after you. ^b b v7 The covenant formula — "to be God to you and to your children" — is rendered "to be your Father and the Father of your children" because that is the covenant our Father is making: not a contract, but a family. He binds himself to Abraham and every generation that follows. ⁸I will give you and your descendants after you the land where you live as a foreigner—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their Father."

⁹Then our Father said to Abraham, "As for you: keep my covenant, you and your children after you, throughout their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant to keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you must be circumcised. ¹¹Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹²Every male among you, generation after generation, must be circumcised at eight days old—whether born in your house or bought with silver from a foreigner not your own offspring. ¹³Everyone born in your house or bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh, an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴Any uncircumcised male not circumcised in his foreskin's flesh will be cut off from his people—he has broken my covenant."

Sarah's New Name

¹⁵Then our Father said to Abraham, "Don't call your wife Sarai anymore—her name is Sarah. ¹⁶I will bless her and indeed give you a son by her. I will bless her—she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

¹⁷Abraham fell on his face, laughing, and said to himself, "Can a son be born to a man who is one hundred years old? Can ninety-year-old Sarah give birth?" ¹⁸Then Abraham said to our Father, "If only Ishmael might live in your presence!"

¹⁹But our Father said, "No, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him, an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ^c c v19 The name Isaac means "he laughs" — a tender reminder of Sarah's surprised laughter when the promise was given. ²⁰As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him, make him fruitful, and multiply him exceedingly. He will father twelve leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear you at this time next year."

²²When he had finished speaking with Abraham, our Father went up from him. ²³Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, everyone born in his household, and everyone bought with his money—every male in Abraham's household—and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as our Father had told him. ²⁴Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ^d d v24 Circumcision was the physical sign of belonging to our Father's covenant people. ²⁵His son Ishmael was thirteen when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶On that very day Abraham and Ishmael his son were circumcised. ²⁷All the men of his household—house-born and bought with silver from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.