Abram Journeys to Egypt

12 Now (A)the Lord said to Abram,

“Go from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And (B)I will make you into a great nation,
And (C)I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall (D)be a blessing;
And (E)I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who [a]curses you I will [b]curse.
(F)And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward (Q)the [g]Negev.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 12:3 Or reviles
  2. Genesis 12:3 Or bind under a curse
  3. Genesis 12:5 Lit souls
  4. Genesis 12:5 Lit went forth to go to
  5. Genesis 12:6 Or terebinth
  6. Genesis 12:7 Lit seed
  7. Genesis 12:9 I.e., South country

Abram Promised a Son

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

(B)Do not fear, Abram,
I am (C)a shield to you;
[a]Your (D)reward shall be very great.”

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?” 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.” 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.” 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.” (I)Then he believed in the Lord; and He [j]credited it to him as righteousness. 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.” But he said, “Lord [l]God, (L)how may I know that I will [m]possess it?” 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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 15:1 Or Your very great reward
  2. Genesis 15:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  3. Genesis 15:2 Lit go
  4. Genesis 15:2 Lit son of acquisition
  5. Genesis 15:3 Lit Behold
  6. Genesis 15:3 Lit seed
  7. Genesis 15:3 Lit then behold, a son of my
  8. Genesis 15:4 Lit inward parts
  9. Genesis 15:5 Lit seed
  10. Genesis 15:6 Or imputed
  11. Genesis 15:7 Or inherit
  12. Genesis 15:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  13. Genesis 15:8 Or inherit
  14. Genesis 15:9 Lit Take
  15. Genesis 15:10 Lit took
  16. Genesis 15:10 Lit in the midst
  17. Genesis 15:12 Or a terror of great darkness
  18. Genesis 15:13 Lit seed
  19. Genesis 15:13 Lit and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them
  20. Genesis 15:14 Lit great

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

17 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, (A)the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

“I am [a]God (B)Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be [b](C)blameless.
I will [c]make My (D)covenant between Me and you,
And I will (E)multiply you exceedingly.”

Abram (F)fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a (G)multitude of nations.
No longer shall you be named [d]Abram,
But (H)your name shall be [e]Abraham;
For (I)I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and (J)kings will come from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your [f]descendants after you throughout their generations as an (K)everlasting covenant, (L)to be God to you and (M)to your [g]descendants after you. And (N)I will give to you and to your [h]descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and (O)I will be their God.”

God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, (P)you shall keep My covenant, you and your [i]descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 (Q)This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your [j]descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And (R)you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is (S)eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, including a slave who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your [k]descendants. 13 A slave who is born in your house or (T)who is bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised; so My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 But as for an uncircumcised male, one who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be (U)cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name [l]Sarai, but [m]Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you (V)a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; (W)kings of peoples will [n]come from her.” 17 Then Abraham (X)fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And (Y)will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but your wife Sarah will bear you (Z)a son, and you shall name him [o]Isaac; and (AA)I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his [p]descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and (AB)make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. (AC)He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a (AD)great nation. 21 But I will establish My covenant with (AE)Isaac, whom (AF)Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22 When He finished talking with him, (AG)God went up from Abraham.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 17:1 Heb El Shaddai
  2. Genesis 17:1 Lit complete, perfect; or having integrity
  3. Genesis 17:2 Lit give
  4. Genesis 17:5 I.e., exalted father
  5. Genesis 17:5 I.e., father of a multitude
  6. Genesis 17:7 Lit seed
  7. Genesis 17:7 Lit seed
  8. Genesis 17:8 Lit seed
  9. Genesis 17:9 Lit seed
  10. Genesis 17:10 Lit seed
  11. Genesis 17:12 Lit seed
  12. Genesis 17:15 I.e., princess
  13. Genesis 17:15 I.e., princess (in another dialect)
  14. Genesis 17:16 Lit be
  15. Genesis 17:19 I.e., he laughs
  16. Genesis 17:19 Lit seed

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