Abram and Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant

¹ When¹ Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, “I am El-Shaddai;² walk before me and be blameless

1. Literally “And it happened that”
2. Often translated, “God Almighty”

² so that¹ I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you ⌞exceedingly⌟.”²

1. Or “and”
2. Literally “with very very”

³ Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying,

⁴ “As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

⁵ Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.

⁶ And I will make you ⌞exceedingly⌟¹ fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you.

1. Literally “with very very”

⁷ And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you.

⁸ And I will give to you and to your offspring after you ⌞the land in which you are living as an alien⌟,¹ all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.”

1. Literally “a land of your sojournings”

⁹ And God said to Abraham, “Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations.

¹⁰ This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you, and also with¹ your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

1. Or “between”

¹¹ And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

¹² And ⌞at eight days of age⌟¹ you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and ⌞the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner⌟² who is not from your offspring.

1. Literally “a son of eight days”
2. Literally “those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner”

¹³ ⌞You must certainly circumcise⌟¹ ⌞the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner⌟.² And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

1. Literally “circumcising you will circumcise”
2. Literally “those born of house and acquisition of money from every son of a foreigner”

¹⁴ And as for any uncircumcised male who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his¹ people. He has broken my covenant.

1. Literally “her”; the reference is still to a male; the pronoun is feminine because “person” (nephesh) is grammatically feminine

¹⁵ And God said to Abraham, “as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name.

¹⁶ And I will bless her; moreover, I give to you from her a son. And I will bless her, and ⌞she shall give rise to nations⌟.¹ Kings of peoples shall come² from her.”

1. Literally “she shall become to nations”
2. Or “be”

¹⁷ And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, “⌞Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old⌟,¹ or ⌞can Sarah bear a child at ninety⌟?”²

1. Literally “to a man one hundred years old can he be born?”
2. Literally “can ninety-year-old Sarah bear a child?”

¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

¹⁹ And God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him.

²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him ⌞exceedingly⌟.¹ He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

1. Literally “with very very”

²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year.”

²² When¹ he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.

1. Or “And”

²³ And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all those acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him.

²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁵ And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.

²⁷ And all the men of his house, ⌞those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner⌟,¹ were circumcised with him.

1. Literally “born of house and acquisition of money from the son of a foreigner”