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)

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.^{(A) 15} All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring^[a] forever.^{(B) 16} I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.^{(C) 17} Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land,^(D) for I am giving it to you.”^(E)

⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars^(A)—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[a] be.”^(B)

³ Stay in this land for a while,^(A) and I will be with you^(B) and will bless you.^(C) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands^(D) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.^(E)

¹² He had a dream^(A) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^{(B) 13} There above it^[a] stood the Lord,^(C) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(D) I will give you and your descendants the land^(E) on which you are lying.^{(F) 14} Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(G) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(H) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^[b](I)

¹¹ So they put slave masters^(A) over them to oppress them with forced labor,^(B) and they built Pithom and Rameses^(C) as store cities^(D) for Pharaoh. ¹² But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites ¹³ and worked them ruthlessly.^{(E) 14} They made their lives bitter with harsh labor^(F) in brick^(G) and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.^(H)