Genesis 17

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to him and said, 'I am El Shaddai. Live inmy presence, be perfect,	1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: "I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.
2 and I shal grant a covenant between myself and you, and make you very numerous.'	2 Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly."
3 And Abram bowed to the ground. God spoke to him as follows,	3 When Abram prostrated himself, God continued to speak to him:
4 'For my part, this is my covenant with you: you wil become the father of many nations.	4 "My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations.
5 And you are no longer to be cal ed Abram; your name is to be Abraham, for I am making you father ofmany nations.	5 No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
6 I shal make you exceedingly fertile. I shall make you into nations, and your issue wil be kings.	6 I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you.
7 And I shal maintain my covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you,generation after generation, as a covenant in perpetuity, to be your God and the God of your descendants afteryou.	7 I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 And to you and to your descendants after you, I shal give the country where you are now immigrants,the entire land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity. And I shal be their God.'	8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God."
9 God further said to Abraham, 'You for your part must keep my covenant, you and your descendantsafter you, generation after generation.	9 God also said to Abraham: "On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.
10 This is my covenant which you must keep between myself and you, and your descendants after you:every one of your males must be circumcised.	10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that wil be the sign of the covenant betweenmyself and you.	11 Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the mark of the covenant between you and me.
12 As soon as he is eight days old, every one of your males, generation after generation, must becircumcised, including slaves born within the household or bought from a foreigner not of your descent.	12 Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised, including houseborn slaves and those acquired with money from any foreigner who is not of your blood.
13 Whether born within the household or bought, they must be circumcised. My covenant must bemarked in your flesh as a covenant in perpetuity.	13 Yes, both the houseborn slaves and those acquired with money must be circumcised. Thus my covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting pact.
14 The uncircumcised male, whose foreskin has not been circumcised -- that person must be cut offfrom his people: he has broken my covenant.'	14 If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
15 Furthermore God said to Abraham, 'As regards your wife Sarai, you must not cal her Sarai, butSarah.	15 God further said to Abraham: "As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai; her name shall be Sarah.
16 I shal bless her and moreover give you a son by her. I shal bless her and she will become nations:kings of peoples wil issue from her.'	16 I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Him also will I bless; he shall give rise to nations, and rulers of peoples shall issue from him."
17 Abraham bowed to the ground, and he laughed, thinking to himself, 'Is a child to be born to a manone hundred years old, and wil Sarah have a child at the age of ninety?'	17 Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?"
18 Abraham said to God, 'May Ishmael live in your presence! That wil be enough!'	18 Then Abraham said to God, "Let but Ishmael live on by your favor!"
19 But God replied, 'Yes, your wife Sarah will bear you a son whom you must name Isaac. And I shalmaintain my covenant with him, a covenant in perpetuity, to be his God and the God of his descendants afterhim.	19 God replied: "Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will maintain my covenant with him as an everlasting pact, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him.
20 For Ishmael too I grant you your request. I hereby bless him and wil make him fruitful andexceedingly numerous. He wil be the father of twelve princes, and I shal make him into a great nation.	20 As for Ishmael, I am heeding you: I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make of him a great nation.
21 But my covenant I shall maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah wil bear you at this time next year.'	21 But my covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you by this time next year."
22 When he had finished speaking to Abraham, God went up from him.	22 When he had finished speaking with him, God departed from Abraham.
23 Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, al the slaves born in his household or whom he had bought, inshort al the males among the people of Abraham's household, and circumcised their foreskins that same day,as God had said to him.	23 Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all his slaves, whether born in his house or acquired with his money--every male among the members of Abraham's household--and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that same day, as God had told him to do.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when his foreskin was circumcised.	24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised,
25 Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when his foreskin was circumcised.	25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.
26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day,	26 Thus, on that same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised;
27 and al the men of his household, those born in the household and those bought from foreigners,were circumcised with him.	27 and all the male members of his household, including the slaves born in his house or acquired with his money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.