Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am El Shaddai. Walk with me and be trustworthy.
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When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God showed up and said to him, "I am The Strong God, live entirely before me, live to the hilt!
2 I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants."
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I'll make a covenant between us and I'll give you a huge family."
3 Abram fell on his face, and God said to him,
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Overwhelmed, Abram fell flat on his face.
4 "But me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations.
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"This is my covenant with you: You'll be the father of many nations.
5 And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abram but Abraham.
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Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, meaning that 'I'm making you the father of many nations.'
6 I will make you very fertile. I will produce nations from you, and kings will come from you.
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I'll make you a father of fathers - I'll make nations from you, kings will issue from you.
7 I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants' God after you.
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I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, a covenant that includes your descendants, a covenant that goes on and on and on, a covenant that commits me to be your God and the God of your descendants.
8 I will give you and your descendants the land in which you are immigrants, the whole land of Canaan, as an enduring possession. And I will be their God."
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And I'm giving you and your descendants this land where you're now just camping, this whole country of Canaan, to own forever. And I'll be their God."
9 God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants in every generation.
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God continued to Abraham, "And you: You will honor my covenant, you and your descendants, generation after generation.
10 This is my covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Circumcise every male.
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This is the covenant that you are to honor, the covenant that pulls in all your descendants: Circumcise every male.
11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be a symbol of the covenant between us.
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Circumcise by cutting off the foreskin of the penis; it will be the sign of the covenant between us.
12 On the eighth day after birth, every male in every generation must be circumcised, including those who are not your own children: those born in your household and those purchased with silver from foreigners.
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Every male baby will be circumcised when he is eight days old, generation after generation - this includes house-born slaves and slaves bought from outsiders who are not blood kin.
13 Be sure you circumcise those born in your household and those purchased with your silver. Your flesh will embody my covenant as an enduring covenant.
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Make sure you circumcise both your own children and anyone brought in from the outside. That way my covenant will be cut into your body, a permanent mark of my permanent covenant.
14 Any uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin remains uncircumcised will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."
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An uncircumcised male, one who has not had the foreskin of his penis cut off, will be cut off from his people - he has broken my covenant."
15 God said to Abraham, "As for your wife Sarai, you will no longer call her Sarai. Her name will now be Sarah.
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God continued speaking to Abraham, "And Sarai your wife: Don't call her Sarai any longer; call her Sarah.
16 I will bless her and even give you a son from her. I will bless her so that she will become nations, and kings of peoples will come from her."
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I'll bless her - yes! I'll give you a son by her! Oh, how I'll bless her! Nations will come from her; kings of nations will come from her."
17 Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said to himself, Can a 100-year-old man become a father, or Sarah, a 90-year-old woman, have a child?
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Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, "Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?"
18 To God Abraham said, "If only you would accept Ishmael!"
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Recovering, Abraham said to God, "Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!"
19 But God said, "No, your wife Sarah will give birth to a son for you, and you will name him Isaac. I will set up my covenant with him and with his descendants after him as an enduring covenant.
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But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.
20 As for Ishmael, I've heard your request. I will bless him and make him fertile and give him many, many descendants. He will be the ancestor of twelve tribal leaders, and I will make a great nation of him.
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"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children - a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation.
21 But I will set up my covenant with Isaac, who will be born to Sarah at this time next year.
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But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."
22 When God finished speaking to him, God ascended, leaving Abraham alone.
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God finished speaking with Abraham and left.
23 Abraham took his son Ishmael, all those born in his household, and all those purchased with his silver—that is, every male in Abraham's household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that same day, just as God had told him to do.
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Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all his servants, whether houseborn or purchased - every male in his household - and circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins that very day, just as God had told him.
24 Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin,
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Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.
25 and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.
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His son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.
26 That same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.
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Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised the same day
27 All the men of his household, those born in his household and those purchased with silver from foreigners, were circumcised with him.
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together with all the servants of his household, those born there and those purchased from outsiders - all were circumcised with him.