Genesis 17

17 ¹ When Abram be ninety-nine years old, our Papa show imsef give am come talk, “Na me be El Shaddai — your Papa wey get all power. Waka for my front, make you no get blame.” ^a a v1 El Shaddai mean “God wey get all power.” For di door-mouth of di Covenant promise, our Papa show wetin im be through dis name — di One wey get all power, wey na only am fit give Abraham and Sarah pikin for dia old age. ² And I go make my Covenant between me and you, and I go make you plenty well well.

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

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

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

Sarah New Name

¹⁵ Our Papa come tell Abraham, “No call your wife Sarai again—her name na Sarah.” ¹⁶ I go bless am and true-true give you pikin through am. I go bless am—she go become nations; kings of people go comot from am.

¹⁷ Abraham fall face down for ground, dey laff, come talk for im mind, “Man wey don reach hundred years fit born pikin? Sarah wey don reach ninety years fit born?” ¹⁸ Abraham come tell our Papa, “Make Ishmael just live for your front!”

¹⁹ But our Papa talk, “No o, your wife Sarah go born son give you, and you go call im name Isaac. I go confirm my Covenant with am, Covenant wey no dey end for di pikin wey go come after am.” ^c c v19 Di name Isaac mean “im dey laff” — soft reminder of how Sarah laff with surprise when dem give di promise. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I don hear you. I go bless am, make am born plenty, and increase am well well. Im go born twelve leaders, and I go make am big nation. ²¹ But I go confirm my Covenant with Isaac, wey Sarah go born give you dis same time next year.

²² When im don finish talk with Abraham, our Papa comot go up from am. ²³ Abraham come take Ishmael im son, everybody wey dem born for im house, and everybody wey im buy with im money — every man-pikin for Abraham house — come cut di flesh of dia foreskin dat same day, as our Papa don tell am. ²⁴ Abraham be ninety-nine years old when dem cut di flesh of im foreskin. ^d d v24 Circumcision na di body sign say person belong to our Papa Covenant people. ²⁵ Im son Ishmael be thirteen years when dem cut di flesh of im foreskin. ²⁶ For dat same day dem do circumcision for Abraham and Ishmael im son, ²⁷ All di men for im house—dem wey born for house and dem wey dem buy with silver from stranger—do circumcision with am.