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)

⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram^(A) and said, “To your offspring^[a] I will give this land.^(B)”^(C) So he built an altar there to the Lord,^(D) who had appeared to him.

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)

The Lord’s Covenant With Abram

15 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram^(A) in a vision:^(B)

² But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,^(F) what can you give me since I remain childless^(G) and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?^(H)” ³ And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant^(I) in my household^(J) will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.^(K)” ⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars^(L)—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d] be.”^(M)

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.^(N)

⁷ He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out^(O) of Ur of the Chaldeans^(P) to give you this land to take possession of it.”^(Q)

⁸ But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,^(R) how can I know^(S) that I will gain possession of it?”^(T)

¹² As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,^(A) and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years^(B) your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved^(C) and mistreated there. ¹⁴ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out^(D) with great possessions.^{(E) 15} You, however, will go to your ancestors^(F) in peace and be buried at a good old age.^{(G) 16} In the fourth generation^(H) your descendants will come back here,^(I) for the sin of the Amorites^(J) has not yet reached its full measure.”