Father Almighty Appears to Abram
17 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, our Father appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am El Shaddai — your Father Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless." a a v1 El Shaddai means "God Almighty." At the threshold of the covenant promise, our Father reveals himself by this name — the Almighty who alone can give Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and our Father spoke with him, saying:
4 "As for me, my covenant is with you, and you will become the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make you into many nations, and kings will come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your children after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be a Father to you and to your children after you. b b v7 The covenant formula — "to be God to you and to your children" — is rendered "to be your Father and the Father of your children" because that is the covenant our Father is making: not a contract, but a family. He binds himself to Abraham and every generation that follows. 8 And I will give to you and to your children after you the land where you have been living as a foreigner, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their Father.
9 Then our Father said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your children after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you must keep, between me and you and your children after you: every male among you must be circumcised. 11 You are to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, both those born in your house and those bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your own family. 13 Anyone born in your household or bought with your money must be circumcised. So my covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.
Sarah's New Name
15 And our Father said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her, and I will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and nations will come from her; kings of peoples will come from her.
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, saying to himself, "Can a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at ninety?" 18 Then Abraham said to our Father, "If only Ishmael might live in your presence!"
19 But our Father said, "No, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his children after him. c c v19 The name Isaac means "he laughs" — a tender reminder of Sarah's surprised laughter when the promise was given. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Yes, I will bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He will father twelve princes, 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 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, our Father went up from him. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, all those born in his household and all those bought with his money — every male among the men of Abraham's household — and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as our Father had told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. d d v24 Circumcision was the physical sign of belonging to our Father's covenant people. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 On that very day Abraham and Ishmael his son were circumcised, 27 and all the men of his household, both those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.