1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine , the LORD appeared to Abram , and said unto him, I am the Almighty God ; walk before me , and be thou perfect . 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly . 3And Abram fell on his face : and God talked with him, saying , 4As for me , behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations . 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram , but thy name shall be Abraham ; for a father of many nations have I made thee . 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful , and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And 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 unto thee, and to thy seed after thee . 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee , the land wherein thou art a stranger , all the land of Canaan , for an everlasting possession ; and I will be their God . 9And God said unto Abraham , Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations . 10This is my covenant , which ye shall keep , between me and you and thy seed after thee ; Every man child among you shall be circumcised . 11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin ; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations , he that is born in the house , or bought with money of any stranger , which is not of thy seed . 13He that is born in thy house , and he that is bought with thy money , must needs be circumcised : and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant . 14And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised , that soul shall be cut off from his people ; he hath broken my covenant .
The Promise of a Son
15And God said unto Abraham , As for Sarai thy wife , thou shalt not call her name Sarai , but Sarah shall her name be . 16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations ; kings of people shall be of her. 17Then Abraham fell upon his face , and laughed , and said in his heart , Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old ? and shall Sarah , that is ninety years old , bear ? 18And Abraham said unto God , O that Ishmael might live before thee ! 19And God said , Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed ; and thou shalt call his name Isaac : and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant , and with his seed after him . 20And as for Ishmael , I have heard thee : Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful , and will multiply him exceedingly ; twelve princes shall he beget , and I will make him a great nation . 21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac , which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year . 22And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham .
The Significance of Obedience
23And Abraham took Ishmael his son , and all that were born in his house , and all that were bought with his money , every male among the men of Abraham’s house ; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day , as God had said unto him. 24And Abraham was ninety years old and nine , when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin . 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old , when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin . 26In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised , and Ishmael his son . 27And all the men of his house , born in the house , and bought with money of the stranger , were circumcised with him.