When Abram was 99 years old Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.
I will make my covenant between me and you, and will increase your numbers greatly, yes, greatly.
Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a crowd of nations.
No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a crowd of nations.
I will make you fruitful; greatly, yes, greatly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.
I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are traveling—all the land of Canaan—as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
God said to Abraham, “As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.
This is my covenant between me and you and your seed after you that you must keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.
You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
He who is eight days old among you must be circumcised, every male throughout your generations; including a slave who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your seed.
He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
Isaac's Birth Promised
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah.
I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.”
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is 100 years old? Will Sarah, who is 90 years old, give birth?”
Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
God said, “Truly, Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you are to call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly, yes exceedingly. He will become the father of 12 rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”
When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all the slaves who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day, just as God had told him to do.
Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
And Ishmael, his son, was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
On the same day both Abraham and Ishmael his son were circumcised,
and also all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.