上帝与亚伯兰立约

15 这些事以后,耶和华在异象中对亚伯兰说:“亚伯兰,你不用害怕,我是你的盾牌,我要大大赏赐你。” 亚伯兰说:“主耶和华啊,你要赐我什么呢?我没有儿子,继承我家业的人是大马士革人以利以谢。” 亚伯兰又说:“你没有赐我儿子,我家中的仆人将继承我的产业。” 耶和华又对他说:“这人不会成为你的继承人,你亲生的儿子才是你的继承人。” 耶和华把亚伯兰带到外面,对他说:“你抬头看看天空,数数繁星,你能数得尽吗?你的后裔必这么多。” 亚伯兰信耶和华,耶和华便算他为义人。

耶和华又对他说:“我是耶和华,我带你离开了迦勒底的吾珥,为要把这片土地赐给你。” 亚伯兰说:“主耶和华啊,我怎么知道我会得到这片土地呢?” 耶和华说:“你要给我预备三岁的母牛、母山羊和公绵羊各一头,斑鸠和雏鸽各一只。” 10 亚伯兰一一照办,把牲畜都劈成两半,一半对着一半地摆列,但没有劈开雀鸟。 11 有鸷鸟飞到那些尸体上,亚伯兰赶走了它们。

12 太阳下山的时候,亚伯兰睡得很沉,忽然有可怕的黑暗笼罩着他。 13 耶和华对他说:“你要清楚知道,你的后裔必流落异乡,被奴役、虐待四百年。 14 但我必惩罚奴役他们的国家,之后他们必带着大量的财物离开那里。 15 而你必享长寿,安然离世。 16 到了第四代[a],你的子孙必重回此地,因为亚摩利人现在还没有恶贯满盈。”

17 太阳下山后,大地黑暗,突然有冒烟的火炉和点着的火炬在肉块中经过。 18 就在那天,耶和华跟亚伯兰立约,说:“我必将这片土地赐给你的后代,使他们得到从埃及河到幼发拉底河一带的土地, 19 就是基尼人、基尼洗人、甲摩尼人、 20 赫人、比利洗人、利乏音人、 21 亚摩利人、迦南人、革迦撒人和耶布斯人的土地。”

Footnotes

  1. 15:16 ”希伯来文可能指人一生的年日。

15 After these things the word of Jehovah came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward.

And Abram said, Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me? seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.

And Abram said, Lo, to me thou hast given no seed, and behold, a son of my house will be mine heir.

And behold, the word of Jehovah [came] to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that will come forth out of thy body shall be thine heir.

And he led him out, and said, Look now toward the heavens, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said to him, So shall thy seed be!

And he believed Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him [as] righteousness.

And he said to him, I am Jehovah who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give thee this land to possess it.

And he said, Lord Jehovah, how shall I know that I shall possess it?

And he said to him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10 And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the half of each opposite its fellow; but the birds he did not divide.

11 And the birds of prey came down on the carcases; and Abram scared them away.

12 And as the sun was just going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, a horror, a great darkness, fell upon him.

13 And he said to Abram, Know assuredly that thy seed will be a sojourner in a land [that is] not theirs, and they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

14 But also that nation which they shall serve I will judge; and afterwards they shall come out with great property.

15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16 And [in the] fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17 And it came to pass when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking furnace, and a flame of fire which passed between those pieces.

18 On the same day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates;

19 the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,

21 and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.