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)

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

He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out(D) of Ur of the Chaldeans(E) to give you this land to take possession of it.”(F)

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,(G) how can I know(H) that I will gain possession of it?”(I)

So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer,(J) a goat and a ram, each three years old,(K) along with a dove and a young pigeon.(L)

10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other;(M) the birds, however, he did not cut in half.(N) 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses,(O) but Abram drove them away.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 15:5 Or seed

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

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