Genesis 15:16-18

Easy-to-Read Version

¹⁶After four generations your people will come to this land again and defeat the Amorites. That will happen in the future because the Amorites are not yet guilty enough to lose their land.”

¹⁷After the sun went down, it got very dark. The dead animals were still on the ground, each animal cut into two pieces. Then a smoking firepot^[a] and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the dead animals.^[b]

¹⁸So on that day the Lord made a promise and an agreement with Abram. He said, “I will give this land to your descendants. I will give them the land between the River of Egypt^[c] and the great river Euphrates.

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Footnotes

Genesis 15:17 firepot A clay pot in which burning coals were placed to be used for starting new fires.
Genesis 15:17 passed between … animals This showed that God “signed” or “sealed” the agreement he made with Abram. People showed that they were sincere in making an agreement by walking between the parts of animals that had been cut into pieces and saying something like, “May this same thing happen to me if I don’t keep the agreement.”
Genesis 15:18 River of Egypt That is, the stream called “Wadi El-Arish.”

Genesis 15:16-18

New International Version

¹⁶In the fourth generation^(A) your descendants will come back here,^(B) for the sin of the Amorites^(C) has not yet reached its full measure.”

¹⁷When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch^(D) appeared and passed between the pieces.^(E) ¹⁸On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram^(F) and said, “To your descendants I give this land,^(G) from the Wadi^[a] of Egypt^(H) to the great river, the Euphrates^(I)—