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 Afterwards Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and this is what he told him: “Don’t be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings.”

2-3 But Abram replied, “O Lord Jehovah, what good are all your blessings when I have no son? For without a son, some other member of my household[a] will inherit all my wealth.”

Then Jehovah told him, “No, no one else will be your heir, for you will have a son to inherit everything you own.”

Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime sky and told him, “Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that—too many to count!” And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith.

And he told him, “I am Jehovah who brought you out of the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land.”

But Abram replied, “O Lord Jehovah, how can I be sure that you will give it to me?” Then Jehovah told him to take a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon, 10 and to slay them and to cut them apart down the middle, and to separate the halves, but not to divide the birds. 11 And when the vultures came down upon the carcasses, Abram shooed them away.

12 That evening as the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a vision of terrible foreboding, darkness, and horror.

13 Then Jehovah told Abram, “Your descendants will be oppressed as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and at the end they will come away with great wealth. 15 (But you will die in peace, at a ripe old age.) 16 After four generations they will return here to this land; for the wickedness of the Amorite nations living here now[b] will not be ready for punishment until then.”

17 As the sun went down and it was dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch that passed between the halves of the carcasses. 18 So that day Jehovah made this covenant with Abram: “I have given this land to your descendants from the Wadi-el-Arish[c] to the Euphrates River. 19-21 And I give to them these nations: Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites.”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 15:2 some other member of my household was Eliezer of Damascus.
  2. Genesis 15:16 Amorite nations living here now, implied.
  3. Genesis 15:18 Wadi-el-Arish, literally, “River of Egypt,” at the southern border of Judah.

Yahweh Cuts a Covenant with Abram

15 After these things (A)the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying,

(B)Do not fear, Abram,
I am (C)a shield to you;
[a]Your (D)reward shall be very great.”

And Abram said, “O Lord Yahweh, what will You give me, as I go on being childless, and the [b]heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “[c]Since You have given no seed to me, behold, [d]one (E)born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir; (F)but one who will come forth from your own [e]body, he shall be your heir.” And He brought him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and (G)number the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “(H)So shall your seed be.” (I)Then he believed in Yahweh; and He counted it to him as righteousness. And He said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of (J)Ur of the Chaldeans, to (K)give you this land to [f]possess it.” And he said, “O Lord Yahweh, (L)how may I know that I will [g]possess it?” So He said to him, “[h]Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he [i]brought all these to Him and (M)split them into parts [j]down the middle and laid each part opposite the other; but he (N)did not split apart the birds. 11 Then the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 Now it happened that when the sun was going down, (O)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, [k]terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that (P)your seed will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, [l]and (Q)they will be enslaved and mistreated (R)four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the nation to whom they are enslaved, and afterward they will come out (S)with [m]many possessions. 15 As for you, (T)you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 Then in (U)the fourth generation they will return here, for (V)the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

17 Now it happened that the sun had set, and it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which (W)passed between these pieces. 18 On that day Yahweh cut a covenant with Abram, saying,

(X)To your seed I have given this land,
From (Y)the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:

19 (Z)the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 15:1 Or Your very great reward
  2. Genesis 15:2 Lit son of acquisition
  3. Genesis 15:3 Lit Behold
  4. Genesis 15:3 Lit a son of
  5. Genesis 15:4 Lit inward parts
  6. Genesis 15:7 Or inherit
  7. Genesis 15:8 Or inherit
  8. Genesis 15:9 Lit Take
  9. Genesis 15:10 Lit took
  10. Genesis 15:10 Lit in the midst
  11. Genesis 15:12 Or a terror of great darkness
  12. Genesis 15:13 Lit and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them
  13. Genesis 15:14 Lit great