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17 And Abram was ninety-nine years old, when Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I [am] the Almighty God: walk before my face, and be perfect.

And I will set my covenant between me and thee, and will very greatly multiply thee.

And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying,

It is I: behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of a multitude of nations.

And thy name shall no more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.

And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

And I give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be a God to them.

And God said to Abraham, And [as for] thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10 This is my covenant which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee—that every male among you be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and [that] shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

12 And at eight days old shall every male in your generations be circumcised among you—he who is born in the house, and he who is bought with money, any stranger who is not of thy seed.

13 He who is born in thy house, and he who is bought with thy money, must be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 And the uncircumcised male who hath not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples: he hath broken my covenant.

15 And God said to Abraham, [As to] Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16 And I will bless her, and I will give thee a son also of her; and I will bless her, and she shall become nations: kings of peoples shall be of her.

17 And Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?

18 And Abraham said to God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall indeed bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him, for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

20 And for Ishmael I have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

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

22 And he left off talking with him; and God went up from Abraham.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money—every male among the people of Abraham's house—and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that same day, as God had said to him.

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

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

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son;

27 and all the men of his house, born in his house, or bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

18 And Jehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he sat at the tent-door in the heat of the day.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing near him. And when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself to the earth,

and said, Lord, if now I have found favour in thine eyes, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.

Let now a little water be fetched, that ye may wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

And I will fetch a morsel of bread; and refresh yourselves; after that ye shall pass on; for therefore have ye passed on towards your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said.

And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Knead quickly three seahs of wheaten flour, and make cakes.

And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf tender and good, and gave [it] to the attendant; and he hasted to dress it.

And he took thick and sweet milk, and the calf that he had dressed, and set [it] before them; and he stood before them under the tree, and they ate.

And they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And he said, I will certainly return to thee at [this] time of the year, and behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent-door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old [and] advanced in age: it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am become old, shall I have pleasure, and my lord old?

13 And Jehovah said to Abraham, Why is this, that Sarah laughs, saying, Shall I indeed bear, when I am become old?

14 Is [any] matter too wonderful for Jehovah? At the time appointed I will return to thee, at [this] time of the year, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 And Sarah denied, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And he said, No; but thou didst laugh.

16 And the men rose up thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to conduct them.

17 And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?

18 Since Abraham shall indeed become a great and mighty nation; and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

19 For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice, in order that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what he hath spoken of him.

20 And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grievous,

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me; and if not, I will know [it].

22 And the men turned thence, and went towards Sodom; and Abraham remained yet standing before Jehovah.

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also cause the righteous to perish with the wicked?

24 There are perhaps fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not forgive the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are therein?

25 Far be it from thee to do so, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous should be as the wicked—far be it from thee! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?

26 And Jehovah said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sakes.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have ventured to speak unto the Lord; I, who am dust and ashes.

28 Perhaps there may want five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city on account of the five? And he said, If I shall find forty-five there, I will not destroy [it].

29 And he continued yet to speak with him, and said, Perhaps there may be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake.

30 And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry that I speak! Perhaps there may be thirty found there. And he said, I will not do it if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, Behold now, I have ventured to speak with the Lord. Perhaps there may be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for the twenty's sake.

32 And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, that I speak yet but this time! Perhaps there may be ten found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for the ten's sake.

33 And Jehovah went away when he had ended speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

The Covenant of Circumcision

17 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) 10 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) 11 You are to undergo circumcision,(Y) and it will be the sign of the covenant(Z) between me and you. 12 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. 13 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) 14 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)

15 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) 16 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.”

17 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) 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael(AP) might live under your blessing!”(AQ)

19 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. 20 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) 21 But my covenant(AY) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you(AZ) by this time next year.”(BA) 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.(BB)

23 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) 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old(BE) when he was circumcised,(BF) 25 and his son Ishmael(BG) was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household(BH), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham(BI) near the great trees of Mamre(BJ) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent(BK) in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up(BL) and saw three men(BM) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.(BN)

He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(BO) my lord,[e] do not pass your servant(BP) by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet(BQ) and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat,(BR) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs[f] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”(BS)

Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf(BT) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds(BU) and milk(BV) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.(BW) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

“Where is your wife Sarah?”(BX) they asked him.

“There, in the tent,(BY)” he said.

10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,(BZ) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”(CA)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old,(CB) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.(CC) 12 So Sarah laughed(CD) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord(CE) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’(CF) 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord?(CG) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,(CH) and Sarah will have a son.”(CI)

15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 When the men(CJ) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham(CK) what I am about to do?(CL) 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,(CM) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[g] 19 For I have chosen him(CN), so that he will direct his children(CO) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord(CP) by doing what is right and just,(CQ) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”(CR)

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom(CS) and Gomorrah is so great(CT) and their sin so grievous(CU) 21 that I will go down(CV) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men(CW) turned away and went toward Sodom,(CX) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[h](CY) 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(CZ) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[i] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?(DA) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing(DB)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous(DC) and the wicked alike.(DD) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge(DE) of all the earth do right?”(DF)

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.(DG)

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,(DH) 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,(DI) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.(DJ) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,(DK) I will not destroy it.”

33 When the Lord had finished speaking(DL) with Abraham, he left,(DM) and Abraham returned home.(DN)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  2. Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
  3. Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.
  4. Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
  5. Genesis 18:3 Or eyes, Lord
  6. Genesis 18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  7. Genesis 18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)
  8. Genesis 18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
  9. Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26