Abraham to Father Many Nations
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.
2 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
4 “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.
5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.
7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
The Covenant of Circumcision
9 God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.
10 This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.
11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 Throughout your generations, every male among you shall be circumcised at eight days old—every male born in your household or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.
13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, he must surely be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.
16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”
19 But God replied, “Yes, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and indeed, I will bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
21 But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
22 And when He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money—every male in his household—and he circumcised them, as God had told him.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,
25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day.
27 And all the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.