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
The Voice
15 Some time passed. One day, the word of the Eternal One came to Abram through a vision—a kind of waking dream.
Eternal One: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am always your shield and protector. Your reward for loyalty and trust will be immense.
Abram: 2 Eternal Lord, what could You possibly give to me that would make that much of a difference in my life? After all, I am still childless, and Eliezer of Damascus stands to inherit all I own.[a] 3 Since You have not given me the gift of children, my only heir will be one of the servants born in my household.
4 Immediately the word of the Eternal One came to him.
Eternal One: No, Abram, this man will not be your heir. No one but your very own child will be an heir for you.
5 God took him outside to show him something.
Eternal One: Look up at the stars, and try to count them all if you can. There are too many to count! Your descendants will be as many as the stars.[b]
6 Abram believed God and trusted in His promises, so God counted it to his favor as righteousness.[c]
Eternal One (to Abram): 7 I am the Eternal One. Remember, I am the One who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to give you this land to possess and to pass on to your descendants.
Abram: 8 But Eternal Lord, how am I supposed to know I really will possess it?
Eternal One: 9 Bring to Me the following: a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10 Abram brought God all of these animals and cut them in two, laying each half next to the other, making two rows. Only the birds were not cut in two. 11 And when any birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, Abram swatted them away.
12 As the sun was setting in the west, Abram fell into a deep sleep. A terrifying darkness descended upon him.
Eternal One (to Abram): 13 I will tell you this on which you can stake your life: Your descendants will first be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. They will be made slaves there and will be oppressed for 400 years. 14 But then I will judge the nation that enslaves them.[d] When that time comes, your descendants will emerge from that land with many possessions. 15 As for you, you will rest with your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. 16 Not until the fourth generation will your descendants return here to possess the land, because the sin of the Amorite people has not yet reached its full measure.
17 When the sun had gone down and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the animal carcasses. 18 With this ritual and on this day, the Eternal One made a covenant with Abram.
This ritual may sound strange, but it is a common way of making agreements between parties in Abram’s day. The exact meaning is unclear, but the various elements and actions point to one undeniable fact: Abram and the Lord are entering into a relationship that has serious and long-lasting consequences. God’s covenant with Abram changes not only Abram’s future but the future of the world itself.
Eternal One: I make a solemn promise to give this land to your descendants—from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River, 19-21 the land where the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites all live. All of this I will give to you.
Footnotes
- 15:2 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 15:5 Romans 4:18
- 15:6 Romans 4:3, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23
- 15:14 Acts 7:7
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The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.