Study Desk

The Covenant of Circumcision

When Abram was ninety-nine years old,^(a) the Lord appeared to him^(b) and said, "I am God Almighty^[a];^(c) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.^(d)

Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(e) and will greatly increase your numbers."^(f)

Abram fell facedown,^(g) and God said to him,

"As for me, this is my covenant with you:^(h) You will be the father of many nations.⁽ⁱ⁾

No longer will you be called Abram^[b]; your name will be Abraham,^[c](j) for I have made you a father of many nations.^(k)

I will make you very fruitful;^(l) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^(m)

I will establish my covenant⁽ⁿ⁾ as an everlasting covenant^(o) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God^(p) and the God of your descendants after you.^(q)

The whole land of Canaan,^(r) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(s) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;^(t) and I will be their God.^(u)"

Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(v) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^(w)

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^(x)

You are to undergo circumcision,^(y) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(z) between me and you.

For the generations to come^(aa) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(ab) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.

Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.^(ac) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^(ad)

Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(ae) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(af) he has broken my covenant.^(ag)"

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai^(ah) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.^(ai)

I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.^(aj) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;^(ak) kings of peoples will come from her."

Abraham fell facedown;^(al) he laughed^(am) and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?^(an) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"^(ao)

And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael^(ap) might live under your blessing!"^(aq)

Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,^(ar) and you will call him Isaac.^[d](as) I will establish my covenant with him^(at) as an everlasting covenant^(au) for his descendants after him.

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.^(av) He will be the father of twelve rulers,^(aw) and I will make him into a great nation.^(ax)

But my covenant^(ay) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you^(az) by this time next year."^(ba)

When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^(bb)

On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household^(bc) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.^(bd)

Abraham was ninety-nine years old^(be) when he was circumcised,^(bf)

and his son Ishmael^(bg) was thirteen;

Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.

And every male in Abraham's household^(bh), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.