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Genesis 17
New King James Version

### The Sign of the Covenant(A)

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord (B)appeared to Abram and said to him, (C)“I am [a]Almighty God; (D)walk before Me and be (E)blameless. 2 And I will make My (F)covenant between Me and you, and (G)will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be (H)a father of [b]many nations. 5 No longer shall (I)your name be called [c]Abram, but your name shall be [d]Abraham; (J)for I have made you a father of [e]many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make (K)nations of you, and (L)kings shall come from you. 7 And I will (M)establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, (N)to be God to you and (O)your descendants after you. 8 Also (P)I give to you and your descendants after you the land (Q)in[f] which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and (R)I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, (S)you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: (T)Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be (U)a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you (V)shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person (W)shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but [g]Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her (X)and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother (Y)of nations; (Z)kings of peoples shall be from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face (AA)and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham (AB)said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19 Then God said: “No, (AC)Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My (AD)covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and (AE)will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget (AF)twelve princes, (AG)and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My (AH)covenant I will establish with Isaac, (AI)whom Sarah shall bear to you at this (AJ)set time next year.” 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 24 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 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and (AK)all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

#### Footnotes

1. Genesis 17:1 Heb. El Shaddai
2. Genesis 17:4 Lit. a multitude of nations
3. Genesis 17:5 Lit. Exalted Father
4. Genesis 17:5 Lit. Father of a Multitude
5. Genesis 17:5 a multitude of
6. Genesis 17:8 Lit. of your sojournings
7. Genesis 17:15 Lit. Princess

#### Cross references

1. Genesis 17:1 : Ex. 12:43—13:2
2. Genesis 17:1 : Gen. 12:7; 18:1
3. Genesis 17:1 : Gen. 28:3; 35:11; Ex. 6:3; Job 42:2
4. Genesis 17:1 : 2 Kin. 20:3
5. Genesis 17:1 : Gen. 6:9; Deut. 18:13
6. Genesis 17:2 : Gen. 15:18; Ex. 6:4; [Gal. 3:19]
7. Genesis 17:2 : Gen. 12:2; 13:16; 15:5; 18:18
8. Genesis 17:4 : [Rom. 4:11, 12, 16]
9. Genesis 17:5 : Neh. 9:7
10. Genesis 17:5 : Rom. 4:17
11. Genesis 17:6 : Gen. 17:16; 35:11
12. Genesis 17:6 : Matt. 1:6
13. Genesis 17:7 : [Gal. 3:17]
14. Genesis 17:7 : Gen. 26:24; 28:13; Lev. 11:45; 26:12, 45; Heb. 11:16
15. Genesis 17:7 : Rom. 9:8; Gal. 3:16
16. Genesis 17:8 : Gen. 12:7; 13:15, 17; Acts 7:5
17. Genesis 17:8 : Gen. 23:4; 28:4
18. Genesis 17:8 : Ex. 6:7; 29:45; Lev. 26:12; Deut. 29:13; Rev. 21:7
19. Genesis 17:9 : Ex. 19:5
20. Genesis 17:10 : John 7:22; Acts 7:8
21. Genesis 17:11 : Ex. 12:13, 48; [Rom. 4:11]
22. Genesis 17:12 : Lev. 12:3
23. Genesis 17:14 : Ex. 4:24–26
24. Genesis 17:16 : Gen. 18:10
25. Genesis 17:16 : Gen. 35:11; Gal. 4:31; 1 Pet. 3:6
26. Genesis 17:16 : Gen. 17:6; 36:31; 1 Sam. 8:22
27. Genesis 17:17 : Gen. 17:3; 18:12; 21:6
28. Genesis 17:18 : Gen. 18:23
29. Genesis 17:19 : Gen. 18:10; 21:2; [Gal. 4:28]
30. Genesis 17:19 : Gen. 22:16; Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34
31. Genesis 17:20 : Gen. 16:10
32. Genesis 17:20 : Gen. 25:12–16
33. Genesis 17:20 : Gen. 21:13, 18
34. Genesis 17:21 : Gen. 26:2–5
35. Genesis 17:21 : Gen. 21:2
36. Genesis 17:21 : Gen. 18:14
37. Genesis 17:27 : Gen. 18:19

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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