Genesis 15
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Cuts a Covenant with Abram
15 After these things (A)the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying,
2 And Abram said, “O Lord Yahweh, what will You give me, as I go on being childless, and the [b]heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “[c]Since You have given no seed to me, behold, [d]one (E)born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir; (F)but one who will come forth from your own [e]body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He brought him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and (G)number the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “(H)So shall your seed be.” 6 (I)Then he believed in Yahweh; and He counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And He said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of (J)Ur of the Chaldeans, to (K)give you this land to [f]possess it.” 8 And he said, “O Lord Yahweh, (L)how may I know that I will [g]possess it?” 9 So He said to him, “[h]Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he [i]brought all these to Him and (M)split them into parts [j]down the middle and laid each part opposite the other; but he (N)did not split apart the birds. 11 Then the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 Now it happened that when the sun was going down, (O)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, [k]terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that (P)your seed will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, [l]and (Q)they will be enslaved and mistreated (R)four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the nation to whom they are enslaved, and afterward they will come out (S)with [m]many possessions. 15 As for you, (T)you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 Then in (U)the fourth generation they will return here, for (V)the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17 Now it happened that the sun had set, and it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which (W)passed between these pieces. 18 On that day Yahweh cut a covenant with Abram, saying,
“(X)To your seed I have given this land,
From (Y)the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 (Z)the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 15:1 Or Your very great reward
- Genesis 15:2 Lit son of acquisition
- Genesis 15:3 Lit Behold
- Genesis 15:3 Lit a son of
- Genesis 15:4 Lit inward parts
- Genesis 15:7 Or inherit
- Genesis 15:8 Or inherit
- Genesis 15:9 Lit Take
- Genesis 15:10 Lit took
- Genesis 15:10 Lit in the midst
- Genesis 15:12 Or a terror of great darkness
- Genesis 15:13 Lit and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them
- Genesis 15:14 Lit great
Genesis 15
Common English Bible
God’s covenant with Abram
15 After these events, the Lord’s word came to Abram in a vision, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your protector.[a] Your reward will be very great.”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you possibly give me, since I still have no children? The head of my household is Eliezer, a man from Damascus.”[b] 3 He continued, “Since you haven’t given me any children, the head of my household will be my heir.”
4 The Lord’s word came immediately to him, “This man will not be your heir. Your heir will definitely be your very own biological child.” 5 Then he brought Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you think you can count them.” He continued, “This is how many children you will have.” 6 Abram trusted the Lord, and the Lord recognized Abram’s high moral character.
7 He said to Abram, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”
8 But Abram said, “Lord God, how do I know that I will actually possess it?”
9 He said, “Bring me a three-year-old female calf, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He took all of these animals, split them in half, and laid the halves facing each other, but he didn’t split the birds. 11 When vultures swooped down on the carcasses, Abram waved them off. 12 After the sun set, Abram slept deeply. A terrifying and deep darkness settled over him.
13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Have no doubt that your descendants will live as immigrants in a land that isn’t their own, where they will be oppressed slaves for four hundred years. 14 But after I punish the nation they serve, they will leave it with great wealth. 15 As for you, you will join your ancestors in peace and be buried after a good long life. 16 The fourth generation will return here since the Amorites’ wrongdoing won’t have reached its peak until then.”
17 After the sun had set and darkness had deepened, a smoking vessel with a fiery flame passed between the split-open animals. 18 That day the Lord cut a covenant with Abram: “To your descendants I give this land, from Egypt’s river to the great Euphrates, 19 together with the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 15:1 Or shield or benefactor
- Genesis 15:2 Heb uncertain
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