Genesis 12-13
King James Version
12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.
9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
13 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Genesis 12-13
New King James Version
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.
2 (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.
3 (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.”
4 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. 5 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. 6 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.
7 (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. 8 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. 9 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.
Abram Inherits Canaan
13 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and (AG)Lot with him, (AH)to the [f]South. 2 (AI)Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey (AJ)from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the (AK)place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram (AL)called on the name of the Lord.
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now (AM)the land was not able to [g]support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was (AN)strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. (AO)The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, (AP)“Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 (AQ)Is not the whole land before you? Please (AR)separate from me. (AS)If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all (AT)the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord (AU)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) (AV)like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward (AW)Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot (AX)dwelt in the cities of the plain and (AY)pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom (AZ)were exceedingly wicked and (BA)sinful against the Lord.
14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot (BB)had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—(BC)northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see (BD)I give to you and (BE)your [h]descendants forever. 16 And (BF)I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
18 (BG)Then Abram moved his tent, and went and (BH)dwelt by [i]the terebinth trees of Mamre, (BI)which are in Hebron, and built an (BJ)altar there to the Lord.
Footnotes
- Genesis 12:5 Lit. souls
- Genesis 12:6 Heb. Alon Moreh
- Genesis 12:7 Lit. seed
- Genesis 12:9 Heb. Negev
- Genesis 12:13 Lit. my soul
- Genesis 13:1 Heb. Negev
- Genesis 13:6 Lit. bear
- Genesis 13:15 Lit. seed
- Genesis 13:18 Heb. Alon Mamre
Genesis 12-13
English Standard Version
The Call of Abram
12 Now (A)the Lord said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country[b] and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 (B)And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 (C)I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and (D)in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[c]
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from (E)Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram (F)passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to (G)the oak[d] of (H)Moreh. At that time (I)the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, (J)“To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of (K)Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10 Now (L)there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they (M)will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But the Lord (N)afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “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,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
Abram and Lot Separate
13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, (O)into the Negeb.
2 (P)Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to (Q)the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that (R)the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 (S)and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time (T)the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
8 Then Abram said to Lot, (U)“Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, (V)for we are kinsmen.[e] 9 (W)Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the (X)Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like (Y)the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of (Z)Zoar. (This was before the Lord (AA)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom (AB)were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, (AC)northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give (AD)to you and (AE)to your offspring forever. 16 (AF)I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and (AG)settled by the (AH)oaks[f] of Mamre, which (AI)are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
Footnotes
- Genesis 12:1 Or had said
- Genesis 12:1 Or land
- Genesis 12:3 Or by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves
- Genesis 12:6 Or terebinth
- Genesis 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers
- Genesis 13:18 Or terebinths
Genesis 12-13
New American Standard Bible
Abram Journeys to Egypt
12 Now (A)the Lord said to Abram,
“Go from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And (B)I will make you into a great nation,
And (C)I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall (D)be a blessing;
3 And (E)I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who [a]curses you I will [b]curse.
(F)And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
4 So Abram went away as the Lord had spoken to him; and (G)Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, and all their (H)possessions which they had accumulated, and (I)the [c]people which they had acquired in Haran, and they [d]set out for the land of Canaan; (J)so they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land as far as the site of (K)Shechem, to the [e]oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time. 7 And the Lord (L)appeared to Abram and said, “(M)To your [f]descendants I will give this land.” So he built (N)an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. 8 Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent with (O)Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and (P)called upon the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward (Q)the [g]Negev.
10 Now there was (R)a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a time, because the famine was (S)severe in the land. 11 It came about, when he [h]was approaching Egypt, that he said to his wife Sarai, “See now, I know that you are a [i](T)beautiful woman; 12 (U)and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say that you are (V)my sister so that it may go well for me because of you, and that [j](W)I may live on account of you.” 14 Now it came about, when Abram entered Egypt, that the Egyptians [k]saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and (X)the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 Therefore (Y)he treated Abram well for her sake; and [l](Z)he gave him sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But the Lord (AA)struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “(AB)What is this that 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,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? Now then, [m]here is your wife, take her and go!” 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they [n]escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.
Abram and Lot
13 So Abram went up from Egypt to (AC)the [o]Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.
2 Now Abram was (AD)very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 And he went [p]on his journeys from the [q]Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, (AE)between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the (AF)altar which he had made there previously; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. 5 Now (AG)Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6 And (AH)the land could not [r]support both of them [s]while living together, (AI)for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. 7 (AJ)And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now (AK)the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.
8 (AL)So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives! 9 Is the entire land not before you? Please separate from me; if you choose the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left.” 10 Lot raised his eyes and saw all the [t]vicinity of the (AM)Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord (AN)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like (AO)the garden of the Lord, (AP)like the land of Egypt [u]going toward (AQ)Zoar. 11 So Lot chose for himself all the [v]vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other. 12 Abram [w]settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot [x]settled in (AR)the cities of the [y]vicinity of the Jordan, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. 13 Now (AS)the men of Sodom were [z]exceedingly wicked (AT)sinners against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “(AU)Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, (AV)northward and southward, and eastward and westward; 15 (AW)for all the land which you see (AX)I will give to you and to your [aa]descendants forever. 16 I will make your [ab]descendants (AY)as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your [ac]descendants could also be counted. 17 Arise, (AZ)walk about in the land through its length and width; for (BA)I will give it to you.” 18 Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived by the [ad](BB)oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built (BC)an altar to the Lord.
Footnotes
- Genesis 12:3 Or reviles
- Genesis 12:3 Or bind under a curse
- Genesis 12:5 Lit souls
- Genesis 12:5 Lit went forth to go to
- Genesis 12:6 Or terebinth
- Genesis 12:7 Lit seed
- Genesis 12:9 I.e., South country
- Genesis 12:11 Lit came near to enter
- Genesis 12:11 Lit woman of beautiful appearance
- Genesis 12:13 Lit my soul
- Genesis 12:14 Lit saw the woman that she was
- Genesis 12:16 Lit there was to him
- Genesis 12:19 Or behold
- Genesis 12:20 Lit sent
- Genesis 13:1 I.e., South country
- Genesis 13:3 Lit by his stages
- Genesis 13:3 I.e., South country
- Genesis 13:6 Lit bear
- Genesis 13:6 Lit to live
- Genesis 13:10 Lit circle
- Genesis 13:10 Lit as you go
- Genesis 13:11 Lit circle
- Genesis 13:12 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 13:12 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 13:12 Lit circle
- Genesis 13:13 Lit wicked and sinners exceedingly
- Genesis 13:15 Lit seed
- Genesis 13:16 Lit seed
- Genesis 13:16 Lit seed
- Genesis 13:18 Or terebinths
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.


