上帝呼召亚伯兰

12 耶和华对亚伯兰说:“你要离开家乡、亲族和父亲的家,到我要指示你的地方去。 我必使你成为大国,我必赐福给你,使你声名远播。你必成为别人的祝福。 我必赐福给那些祝福你的人,咒诅那些咒诅你的人。世上万族必因你而蒙福。”

亚伯兰就照耶和华的吩咐离开哈兰,侄儿罗得与他同行。那时亚伯兰七十五岁。 亚伯兰带着妻子撒莱、侄儿罗得以及在哈兰积攒的财物和所得的奴仆启程来到迦南。到了迦南以后, 亚伯兰继续前行,来到示剑的摩利橡树[a]那里。当时迦南人住在那地方。 耶和华向亚伯兰显现,对他说:“我要把这片土地赐给你的后裔。”亚伯兰就在那里为向他显现的耶和华筑了一座坛。 然后,他们又启程前往伯特利东面的山区,在那里搭起帐篷。他们的西面是伯特利,东面是艾。亚伯兰又在那里筑了一座坛,求告耶和华。 之后,亚伯兰继续前往南地。

亚伯兰逃荒到埃及

10 当时,那地方闹饥荒,灾情非常严重,亚伯兰便下到埃及暂住。 11 快要到埃及的时候,他对妻子撒莱说:“我知道你是个美貌的女子, 12 埃及人看见你,一定会因为你是我的妻子而杀了我,让你活着。 13 所以,请你说你是我的妹妹,这样他们会因为你而善待我,留我一命。” 14 亚伯兰一行到了埃及,撒莱的美貌引起了埃及人的注意。 15 法老的官员见了撒莱,就在法老面前称赞她的美貌,她便被带进法老的王宫。 16 因为撒莱的缘故,法老厚待亚伯兰,赏给他许多牛、羊、驴、骆驼和仆婢。

17 耶和华因亚伯兰妻子撒莱的缘故使法老和他全家患重病。 18 法老便召见亚伯兰,说:“你做的是什么事?为什么不告诉我她是你妻子? 19 为什么说她是你妹妹,以致我娶她为妻呢?现在你妻子在这里,带她走吧!” 20 法老就吩咐人把亚伯兰、他妻子以及他所有的一切都送走了。

Footnotes

  1. 12:6 橡树”希伯来文是“大树”,也可能指灵树或圣树,下同13:1814:1318:135:435:8

12 God had told Abram, “Leave your own country behind you, and your own people, and go to the land I will guide you to. If you do, I will cause you to become the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing to many others.[a] I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and the entire world will be blessed because of you.”[b]

So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went too; Abram was seventy-five years old at that time. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—the cattle and slaves he had gotten in Haran—and finally arrived in Canaan. Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem, and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. (This area was inhabited by Canaanites at that time.)

Then Jehovah appeared to Abram and said, “I am going to give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there to commemorate Jehovah’s visit. Afterwards Abram left that place and traveled southward[c] to the hilly country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he made camp, and made an altar to the Lord and prayed to him. Thus he continued slowly southward to the Negeb, pausing frequently.

10 There was at that time a terrible famine in the land: and so Abram went on down to Egypt to live. 11-13 But as he was approaching the borders of Egypt, he asked Sarai his wife to tell everyone that she was his sister! “You are very beautiful,” he told her, “and when the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him and then we can have her!’ But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians will treat me well because of you, and spare my life!” 14 And sure enough, when they arrived in Egypt everyone spoke of her beauty. 15 When the palace aides saw her, they praised her to their king, the Pharaoh, and she was taken into his harem.[d] 16 Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, oxen, donkeys, men and women slaves, and camels.

17 But the Lord sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh’s household on account of her being there. 18 Then Pharaoh called Abram before him and accused him sharply. “What is this you have done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why were you willing to let me marry her, saying she was your sister? Here, take her and be gone!” 20 And Pharaoh sent them out of the country under armed escort—Abram, his wife, and all his household and possessions.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 12:2 you will be a blessing to many others, or “I will make your name so famous that it will be used to pronounce blessings on others.”
  2. Genesis 12:3 the entire world will be blessed because of you, or “the nations will bless themselves because of you.”
  3. Genesis 12:8 traveled southward, implied.
  4. Genesis 12:15 into his harem, literally, “into the household of Pharaoh.”

Promises to Abram(A)

12 Now the (B)Lord had said to Abram:

“Get (C)out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
(D)I will make you a great nation;
(E)I will bless you
And make your name great;
(F)And you shall be a blessing.
(G)I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in (H)you all the families of the earth shall be (I)blessed.”

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and (J)the [a]people whom they had acquired (K)in Haran, and they (L)departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram (M)passed through the land to the place of Shechem, (N)as far as [b]the terebinth tree of Moreh. (O)And the Canaanites were then in the land.

(P)Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, (Q)“To your [c]descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an (R)altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and (S)called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, (T)going on still toward the [d]South.

Abram in Egypt

10 Now there was (U)a famine in the land, and Abram (V)went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was (W)severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are (X)a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they (Y)will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 (Z)Please say you are my (AA)sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that [e]I may live because of you.”

14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He (AB)treated Abram well for her sake. He (AC)had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 But the Lord (AD)plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, (AE)“What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 (AF)So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 12:5 Lit. souls
  2. Genesis 12:6 Heb. Alon Moreh
  3. Genesis 12:7 Lit. seed
  4. Genesis 12:9 Heb. Negev
  5. Genesis 12:13 Lit. my soul

The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household(A) to the land(B) I will show you.(C)

“I will make you into a great nation,(D)
    and I will bless you;(E)
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.[a](F)
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;(G)
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.(H)[b]

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot(I) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old(J) when he set out from Harran.(K) He took his wife Sarai,(L) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated(M) and the people(N) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,(O) and they arrived there.

Abram traveled through the land(P) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh(Q) at Shechem.(R) At that time the Canaanites(S) were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram(T) and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.(U)(V) So he built an altar there to the Lord,(W) who had appeared to him.

From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel(X) and pitched his tent,(Y) with Bethel on the west and Ai(Z) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.(AA)

Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.(AB)

Abram in Egypt(AC)

10 Now there was a famine in the land,(AD) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.(AE) 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,(AF) “I know what a beautiful woman(AG) you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister,(AH) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.(AI) 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.(AJ)

17 But the Lord inflicted(AK) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household(AL) because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”(AM) he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?(AN) 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’(AO) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 12:2 Or be seen as blessed
  2. Genesis 12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)
  3. Genesis 12:7 Or seed