Genesis 17 - Easy To Read Version Easy To Read Version
Genesis 17

¹ When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. The Lord said, “I am God All-Powerful. [91] Do these things for me: Obey me and live the right way.

² If you do this, I will prepare an agreement between us. I will promise to make your people a great nation.”

³ Then Abram bowed down before God. God said to him,

⁴ “This is my part of our agreement: I will make you the father of many nations.

⁵ I will change your name. Your name will not be Abram [92] —your name will be Abraham. [93] I give you this name because I am making you the father of many nations.

⁶ I will give you many, many descendants. [94] New nations and kings will come from you.

⁷ And I will prepare an agreement between you and me. This agreement will also be for all your descendants. This agreement will continue forever. I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.

⁸ And I will give this land to you and to all your descendants. I will give you the land you are traveling through—the land of Canaan. I will give you this land forever. And I will be your God.”

⁹ And God said to Abraham, “Now, this is your part of the agreement. You and all your descendants [95] will obey my agreement.

¹⁰ This is the agreement that you will obey. This is the agreement between you and me. This is for all your descendants: Every boy that is born must be circumcised. [96]

¹¹ You will cut the skin to show that you follow the agreement between me and you.

¹² When the baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. Every boy born among your people and every boy that is a slave of your people must be circumcised.

¹³ So every baby boy in your nation will be circumcised. Every boy that is born from your family or bought as a slave will be circumcised.

¹⁴ {Abraham, this is the agreement between you and me:} Any male that is not circumcised will be cut off from his people. [97] Why? Because that person has broken my agreement.”

¹⁵ God said to Abraham, “I will give Sarai, [98] your wife, a new name. Her new name will be Sarah. [99]

¹⁶ I will bless her. I will give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many new nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham bowed his face to the ground {to show he respected God}. But he laughed and said to himself, “I am 100 years old. I can’t have a son. And Sarah is 90 years old. She can’t have a child.”

¹⁸ Then Abraham said to God, “I hope Ishmael will live and serve you.”

¹⁹ God said, “No! I said that your wife Sarah will have a son. You will name him Isaac. [100] I will make my agreement with him. That agreement will be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants. [101]

²⁰ “You mentioned Ishmael, and I heard you. I will bless him. He will have many children. He will be the father of twelve great leaders. His family will become a great nation.

²¹ But I will make my agreement with Isaac. Isaac will be the son that Sarah will have. This son will be born at this same time next year.”

²² After God finished talking with Abraham, God went up {into heaven}.

²³ {God had told Abraham to circumcise [102] all the men and boys in his family.} So Abraham gathered Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house together. Abraham also gathered together the slaves that were bought with money. Every man and boy in Abraham’s house was gathered together, and they were all circumcised. Abraham circumcised them that day, just like God told him.

²⁴ Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised. [103]

²⁵ And Ishmael, his son, was 13 years old when he was circumcised.

²⁶ Abraham and his son were circumcised on that same day.

²⁷ Also, on that day all the men in Abraham’s house were circumcised. All the slaves born in his house and all the slaves that he had bought were circumcised.