1. Abram was ninety-nine years old when the Lord appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right,
2. I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.”
3. Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:
4-5. I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham.
6. I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings.
7. I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.
8. I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family for ever, and I will be their God.
9. Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me.
10-11. As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family.
12-13. From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last for ever.
14. Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his promise to me and cannot be one of my people.
15. Abraham, your wife's name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai.
16. I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.