Genesis 17

17 ¹When Abram don reach ninety-nine years old, our Papa show imsef to am and talk say, “Na me be El Shaddai—your Papa Almighty. Waka for my front and no make yourself dirty for anything. ^a a v1 El Shaddai mean “God Almighty.” For di door-mouth of di Covenant promise, our Papa show imsef by dis name — di Almighty wey, na only am fit give Abraham and Sarah pikin for dia old age. ²And I go make my Covenant between me and you, and I go make you plenty well well.”

³Then Abram fall face down for ground, and our Papa talk with am, say:

⁴“As for me, my Covenant dey with you, and you go turn to papa of plenty nations. ⁵Dem no go call you Abram again, but Abraham, because I don make you papa of plenty nations. ⁶I go make you born plenty plenty; I go turn you to plenty nations, and kings go comot from you. ⁷I go set up my Covenant between me and you and your pikin dem wey go come after you, for all generations—Covenant wey no dey ever end—make I be Papa to you and your pikin dem wey go come after you. ^b b v7 Di Covenant word — “make I be God to you and to your pikin dem” — dem render am as “make I be your Papa and di Papa of your pikin dem” because na dat kind Covenant our Papa dey make: no be contract, but na family. E tie imsef to Abraham and every generation wey go follow. ⁸I go give you and your pikin dem wey go come after you di land wey you dey live as stranger—all di land of Canaan—as possession wey no dey end; and I go be dia Papa.”

⁹Then our Papa talk to Abraham say, “As for you: keep my Covenant, you and your pikin dem wey go come after you, throughout dia generations. ¹⁰Na dis be my Covenant wey una go keep, between me and you and your pikin dem wey go come after you: every man-pikin among una must circumcise. ¹¹Circumcise di flesh of your foreskin; e go be di sign of di Covenant between me and you. ¹²Every man-pikin among una, generation after generation, must circumcise when e reach eight days old—whether na for your house dem born am or dem buy am with silver from stranger wey no be your own pikin. ¹³Everybody wey dem born for your house or dem buy with your money must circumcise. My Covenant go dey inside your flesh, Covenant wey no dey ever end. ¹⁴Any man-pikin wey no circumcise, wey dem no circumcise di flesh of im foreskin, dem go cut am comot from im people—e don break my Covenant.”

Sarah New Name

¹⁵Then our Papa talk to Abraham say, “No call your wife Sarai again—her name na Sarah. ¹⁶I go bless am and for true I go give you pikin through am. I go bless am—e go turn to nations; kings of plenty people go comot from am.”

¹⁷Abraham fall face down for ground, dey laugh, and e talk for im mind say, “Man wey don reach one hundred years old fit born pikin? Sarah wey don reach ninety years old fit born?” ¹⁸Then Abraham talk to our Papa say, “Make Ishmael just live for your front!”

¹⁹But our Papa talk say, “No, your wife Sarah go born you pikin, and you go call im name Isaac. I go confirm my Covenant with am, Covenant wey no dey ever end for im pikin dem wey go come after am. ^c c v19 Di name Isaac mean “e dey laugh” — tender something wey make person remember di laugh wey shock Sarah when dem give di promise. ²⁰As for Ishmael, I don hear you. I go bless am, make am born plenty, and make am plenty well well. E go born twelve leaders, and I go make am turn to big nation. ²¹But I go confirm my Covenant with Isaac, wey Sarah go born you dis same time next year.”

²²When e don finish to talk with Abraham, our Papa go up comot from am. ²³Then Abraham take Ishmael im pikin, everybody wey dem born for im house, and everybody wey e buy with im money—every man-pikin for Abraham house—and circumcise di flesh of dia foreskin dat very day, as our Papa don tell am. ²⁴Abraham don reach ninety-nine years old when dem circumcise di flesh of im foreskin. ^d d v24 Circumcision na di flesh sign wey show say person belong to our Papa Covenant people. ²⁵Im pikin Ishmael reach thirteen years when dem circumcise di flesh of im foreskin. ²⁶Na dat very day dem circumcise Abraham and Ishmael im pikin. ²⁷All di men for im house—di ones wey dem born for house and di ones wey dem buy with silver from stranger—dem circumcise dem together with am.