Beginning
[LECH LECHA]
12 Now Hashem had said unto Avram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from the bais avicha, unto ha’aretz that I will show thee;
2 And I will make of thee a goy gadol (great nation), and I will bless thee, and make thy shem great; and thou shalt be a brocha (blessing);
3 And I will bless the one blessing you, and curse him that curses you; and kol mishpochot haadamah shall be blessed through you.[T.N. There is a brocha in this verse that many do not know but that every true follower of Moshiach should know.]
4 So Avram departed as Hashem had told him; and Lot went with him; and Avram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Charan.
5 And Avram took Sarai his isha, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had amassed, and the nefesh that they had gotten in Charan; and they went forth to go into the land of Kena’an; and they arrived in the land of Kena’an.
6 And Avram passed through the land unto the makom Shechem, unto Elon Moreh. And the Kena’ani was then in ha’aretz.
7 And Hashem appeared unto Avram, and said, Unto thy zera will I give ha’aretz hazot: and there built he a Mizbe’ach unto Hashem, Who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from there unto the harah mikedem Beit-El, and pitched his tent, having Beit-El on the west, and Ai on the east; and there he built a Mizbe’ach unto Hashem,and called upon the Shem of Hashem.
9 And Avram journeyed, going on still toward the Negev.
10 And there was a ra’av in the land; and Avram went down into Mitzrayim to sojourn there; for the ra’av was severe in ha’aretz.
11 And it came to pass, when he was about to enter into Mitzrayim, that he said unto Sarai his isha, Hinei now, I know that thou art an isha yafeh to look upon;
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his isha; and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, now, thou art my achot; that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my nefesh shall live on account of thee.
14 And it came to pass, that, when Avram was come into Mitzrayim, the Egyptians beheld the isha that she was yafeh me’od.
15 The sarim of Pharaoh also saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh; and the isha was taken into Bais Pharaoh.
16 And he treated Avram well for her sake: and he acquired sheep and oxen, and male donkeys, and avadim, and shfachot, and female donkeys, and camels.
17 And Hashem plagued Pharaoh and his Bais with nega’im gedolim because of Sarai eshet Avram.
18 And Pharaoh summoned Avram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy isha?
19 Why saidst thou, She is my achot? So I might have taken her to me to wife; now therefore, hinei, thy wife, take her, and go!
20 And Pharaoh commanded his anashim concerning him; and they sent him away, and his isha, and all that he had.
13 And Avram went up out of Mitzrayim, he, and his isha, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negev.
2 And Avram was very rich in cattle, in kesef, and in zahav.
3 And he went on his journeys from the Negev even to Beit-El, unto the makom where his ohel had been at the beginning, between Beit-El and Ai;
4 Unto the makom of the Mizbe’ach, which he had built there at the first; and there Avram called on the Shem of Hashem.
5 And Lot also, which walked with Avram, had tzon, and herds, and ohalim.
6 And ha’aretz was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their rechush was rav, so that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was a riv between the ro’im of the herd of Avram and the ro’im of the herd of Lot; and the Kena’ani and the Perizzi dwelt then in ha’aretz.
8 And Avram said unto Lot, Let there be no merivah now between me and thee, and between my ro’im and thy ro’im; for we are achim.
9 Is not the kol ha’aretz before thee? Separate thyself, now, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Yarden, that it was well watered everywhere, before Hashem destroyed Sodom and Amora, even as the Gan Hashem, like Eretz Mitzrayim, as you go to Tzoar.
11 Then Lot chose for him all the plain of Yarden; and Lot journeyed mikedem (east); and they separated themselves the one from his brother.
12 Avram dwelled in Eretz Kena’an, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his ohel toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were ra’im and chatta’im before Hashem exceedingly.
14 And Hashem said unto Avram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the makom where thou art northward, and southward and eastward, and westward:
15 For kol ha’aretz which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy zera ad olam (forever).
16 And I will make thy zera as the dust of ha’aretz; so that if a man can number the aphar of ha’aretz, then shall thy zera also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through ha’aretz in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Avram moved his ohel, and came and dwelt in Elonei Mamre, which is in Chevron, and built there a Mizbe’ach unto Hashem.
14 And it came to pass in the yamim of Amraphel Melech Shinar (i.e., Babylon), Aryoch Melech Ellasar, Kedorlaomer Melech Elam, and Tidal Melech Goyim;
2 That these made milchamah with Bera Melech Sodom, and with Birsha Melech Amora (Gomorrah), Shinav Melech Admah, and Shemever Melech Tzevoyim, and the Melech Bela, which is Tzoar.
3 All these were joined together in the Valley of Siddim which is the Yam HaMelach (i.e., Dead Sea).
4 Twelve shanah they served Kedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 And in the fourteenth year came Kedorlaomer, and the melachim that were with him, and they defeated the Rephaim in Ashterot Karnayim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-Kiryatayim,
6 And the Chori in their Mt Seir, as far as Eil-Paran, which is near the midbar.
7 And they turned, and came to En Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and conquered all the country of the Amaleki, and also the Emori, that dwelt in Chazezon-Tamar.
8 And there went out the Melech Sodom, and the Melech Amora (Gomorrah), and the Melech Admah, and the Melech Tzevoyim, and the Melech Bela (the same is Tzoar); and they joined in milchamah with them in the Valley of Siddim;
9 With Kedorlaomer Melech Elam, and with Tidal Melech Goyim, and Amraphel Melech Shinar, and Aryoch Melech Ellasar; four melachim against five.
10 And the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the Melech Sodom and Amora (Gomorrah) they fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the possessions of Sodom and Amora (Gomorrah), and all their ochel, and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Avram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his possessions, and departed.
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Avram HaIvri; for he dwelt in Elonei Mamre the Emori, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were Ba’alei Brit Avram.
14 And when Avram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained men, born in his own bais, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them as far as Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his avadim, by lailah, and routed them, and pursued them as far as Chovah, which is on the left hand (north) of Damascus.
16 And he recovered all the possessions, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his possessions, and the nashim also, and the people.
17 And the Melech Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the defeat of Kedorlaomer, and of the. melachim that were with him, at the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the King.
18 And Malki-Tzedek Melech Shalem brought forth lechem and yayin and he was the kohen of El Elyon.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Baruch Avram by El Elyon, Creator of Shomayim v’Aretz;
20 And baruch El Elyon, Who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him ma’aser (tithe) of all.
21 And the Melech Sodom said unto Avram, Give me the nefesh and keep the possessions for thyself.
22 And Avram said to the Melech Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto Hashem, El Elyon Creator of Shomayim v’Aretz,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to the thong of a sandal, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Avram rich;
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the chelek of the anashim which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their chelek.
15 After these things the Devar Hashem came unto Avram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Avram; I am thy mogen, and thy exceeding great sachar (reward).
2 And Avram said, Adonoi Hashem, what wilt Thou give me, since I go childless, and the Ben Meshek of my Bais is this Eliezer of Dameshek (Damascus)?
3 And Avram said, See, to me Thou hast given no zera; and, hinei, one born in my bais is my yoresh (heir).
4 And, hinei, the Devar Hashem came unto him saying, This shall not be thy yoresh; but he that shall come forth out of thine own body shall be thy yoresh.
5 And He brought him forth outside, and said, Look now toward Shomayim, and count the kokhavim, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall thy zera be.
6 And he believed in Hashem; and He credited [emunah (faith)] to him as tzedakah (righteousness).
7 And He said unto him, I am Hashem Who brought thee out of Ur Kasdim, to give thee ha’aretz hazot to be the yoresh of it.
8 And he said, Adonoi Hashem, how can I have da’as that I will be its yoresh?
9 And He said unto him, Bring Me a heifer meshuleshet, and a she goat meshuleshet, and a ram meshulash, and a dove, and a pigeon.
10 And he brought unto Him all these, and divided them in two, and laid each half one opposite another; but the birds divided he not.
11 And when the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Avram drove them away.
12 And when the shemesh was going down, a tardemah fell upon Avram; and, hinei, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And Hashem said unto Avram, Know of a surety that thy zera shall be a ger in a land not their own, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them arba me’ot shanah;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with rechush gadol (great substance).
15 And thou shalt go to thy avot in shalom; thou shalt be buried at a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come back here again; for the avon (iniquity) of the Emori (Amorite) is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the shemesh went down, and it was dark, hinei a smoking fire-pot, and a blazing torch passed between those pieces.
18 On that day Hashem cut a brit (covenant) with Avram, saying, Unto thy zera have I given ha’aretz hazot, from the Wadi of Mitzrayim unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 [the land of] the Keni, and the Kenizzi, and the Kadmoni,
20 And the Chitti, and the Perizzi, and the Repha’im,
21 And the Emori, and the Kena’ani, and the Girgashi, and the Yevusi.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International