Abram Journeys to Egypt

12 Now ^(A)the Lord said to Abram,

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 ^(A)the ^[a]Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

² Now Abram was ^(B)very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. ³ And he went ^[b]on his journeys from the ^[c]Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, ^(C)between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the ^(D)altar which he had made there previously; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. ⁵ Now ^(E)Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. ⁶ And ^(F)the land could not ^[d]support both of them ^[e]while living together, ^(G)for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. ^7 (H)And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now ^(I)the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.

^8 (J)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 ^[f]vicinity of the ^(K)Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord ^(L)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like ^(M)the garden of the Lord, ^(N)like the land of Egypt ^[g]going toward ^(O)Zoar. ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the ^[h]vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other. ¹² Abram ^[i]settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot ^[j]settled in ^(P)the cities of the ^[k]vicinity of the Jordan, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now ^(Q)the men of Sodom were ^[l]exceedingly wicked ^(R)sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “^(S)Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, ^(T)northward and southward, and eastward and westward; ^15 (U)for all the land which you see ^(V)I will give to you and to your ^[m]descendants forever. ¹⁶ I will make your ^[n]descendants ^(W)as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your ^[o]descendants could also be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, ^(X)walk about in the land through its length and width; for ^(Y)I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived by the ^[p](Z)oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built ^(AA)an altar to the Lord.

War of the Kings

14 And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of ^(A)Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of ^(B)Elam, and Tidal king of ^[a]Goiim, ² that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of ^(C)Admah, and Shemeber king of ^(D)Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, ^(E)Zoar). ³ All these kings ^[b]came as allies to ^(F)the Valley of Siddim (that is, ^(G)the Salt Sea). ⁴ For twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and ^[c]defeated the ^(H)Rephaim in ^(I)Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in ^[d](J)Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶ and the ^(K)Horites on their Mount Seir, as far as ^(L)El-paran, which is by the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, ^(M)Kadesh), and ^[e]conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in ^(N)Hazazon-tamar. ⁸ And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they lined up for battle against them in ^(O)the Valley of Siddim, ⁹ against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of ^[f]Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and ^(P)the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell ^[g]into them. But those who survived fled to the ^(Q)hill country. ¹¹ Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. ¹² They also took Lot, ^(R)Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, ^(S)for he was living in Sodom.

¹³ Then ^[h]a survivor came and told Abram the ^(T)Hebrew. Now he was residing by the ^[i](U)oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and they were ^[j](V)allies with Abram. ¹⁴ When Abram heard that ^(W)his relative had been taken captive, he ^[k]led out his trained men, ^(X)born in his house, numbering 318, and went in pursuit as far as ^(Y)Dan. ¹⁵ Then ^(Z)he divided ^[l]his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and ^[m]defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is ^[n]north of ^(AA)Damascus. ¹⁶ He ^(AB)brought back all the possessions, and also brought back ^(AC)his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the other people.

God’s Promise to Abram

¹⁷ Then after his return from the ^[o]defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, ^(AD)the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, ^(AE)the King’s Valley). ¹⁸ And ^(AF)Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out ^(AG)bread and wine; now he was a ^(AH)priest of ^[p]God Most High. ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said,

And ^(AJ)he gave him a tenth of everything. ²¹ Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the ^[t]people to me and take the possessions for yourself.” ²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have ^[u]sworn to the Lord ^[v](AK)God Most High, ^[w](AL)Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that ^(AM)I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, so that you do not say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ^24 [x]I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, ^(AN)Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”

Abram Promised a Son

15 After these things ^(A)the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,

² But Abram said, “Lord ^[b]God, what will You give me, since I ^[c]am childless, and the ^[d]heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ Abram also said, “^[e]Since You have given me no ^[f]son, ^[g]one who has been ^(E)born in my house is my heir.” ⁴ Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; ^(F)but one who will come from your own ^[h]body shall be your heir.” ⁵ And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and ^(G)count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “^(H)So shall your ^[i]descendants be.” ^6 (I)Then he believed in the Lord; and He ^[j]credited it to him as righteousness. ⁷ And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of ^(J)Ur of the Chaldeans, to ^(K)give you this land to ^[k]possess it.” ⁸ But he said, “Lord ^[l]God, ^(L)how may I know that I will ^[m]possess it?” ⁹ So He said to him, “^[n]Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ Then he ^[o]brought all these to Him and ^(M)cut them ^[p]in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he ^(N)did not cut the birds. ¹¹ And birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹² Now when the sun was going down, ^(O)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, ^[q]terror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that ^(P)your ^[r]descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, ^[s]where ^(Q)they will be enslaved and oppressed for ^(R)four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out ^(S)with ^[t]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 wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which ^(W)passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,

^19 (Z)the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite, ²⁰ the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.”

The Demon-possessed Man Cured

5 ^(A)They came to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. ² When He got out of ^(B)the boat, immediately a man from the tombs ^(C)with an unclean spirit met Him. ³ He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain, ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; ⁷ and shouting with a loud voice, he *said, “^[a](D)What business do You have with me, Jesus, ^(E)Son of ^(F)the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” ⁸ For He had already been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he *said to Him, “My name is ^(G)Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the region. ¹¹ Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding ^[b]nearby on the mountain. ¹² And the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us into the pigs so that we may enter them.” ¹³ Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

¹⁴ Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ And then they *came to Jesus and *saw the man who had been ^(H)demon-possessed sitting down, ^(I)clothed and ^(J)in his right mind, the very man who had previously had the “^(K)legion”; and they became frightened. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the ^(L)demon-possessed man, and all about the pigs. ¹⁷ And they began to ^(M)beg Him to leave their region. ^18 (N)And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been ^(O)demon-possessed was begging Him that he might ^[c]accompany Him. ¹⁹ And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “^(P)Go home to your people and report to them ^[d]what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” ²⁰ And he went away and began to ^(Q)proclaim in ^(R)Decapolis ^[e]what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

Miracles and Healing

^21 (S)When Jesus had crossed over again in ^(T)the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and He ^[f]stayed ^(U)by the seashore. ^22 (V)And one of ^(W)the synagogue ^[g]officials, named Jairus, *came, and upon seeing Him, *fell at His feet ²³ and *pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and ^(X)lay Your hands on her, so that she will ^[h]get well and live.” ²⁴ And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

²⁵ A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, ²⁶ and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse— ²⁷ after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His ^[i]cloak. ²⁸ For she had been saying to herself, “If I just touch His garments, I will ^[j]get well.” ²⁹ And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her ^(Y)disease. ³⁰ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that ^(Z)power from Him had gone out, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” ³¹ And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” ³² And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. ³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, ^(AA)your faith has ^[k]made you well; ^(AB)go in peace and be cured of your ^(AC)disease.”

³⁵ While He was still speaking, people *came from the house of the ^(AD)synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why bother the Teacher further?” ³⁶ But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the ^(AE)synagogue official, “^(AF)Do not be afraid, only ^[l]believe.” ³⁷ And He allowed no one to accompany Him except ^(AG)Peter, ^[m]James, and John the brother of ^[n]James. ³⁸ They *came to the house of the ^(AH)synagogue official, and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. ³⁹ And after entering, He *said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child has not died, but is asleep.” ⁴⁰ And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all outside, He *took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was in bed. ⁴¹ And taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha, kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, ^(AI)I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astonished. ⁴³ And He ^(AJ)gave them strict orders that no one was to know about this, and He told them to have something given her to eat.

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.