Genesis 15
1 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.
After these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2 And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me.
Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.
Abram said, “Behold, you have given no children to me: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
4 Then said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you.
Behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir.”
5 And he took him out into the open air, and said to him, Let your eyes be lifted to heaven, and see if the stars may be numbered; even so will your seed be.
Yahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So your offspring will be.”
6 And he had faith in the Lord, and it was put to his account as righteousness.
He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said to him, I am the Lord, who took you from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land for your heritage.
He said to Abram, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8 And he said, O Lord God, how may I be certain that it will be mine?
He said, “Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?”
9 And he said, Take a young cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a sheep of three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon.
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10 All these he took, cutting them in two and putting one half opposite the other, but not cutting the birds in two.
He brought him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn’t divide the birds.
11 And evil birds came down on the bodies, but Abram sent them away.
The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep came on Abram, and a dark cloud of fear.
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
13 And he said to Abram, Truly, your seed will be living in a land which is not theirs, as servants to a people who will be cruel to them for four hundred years;
He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.
14 But I will be the judge of that nation whose servants they are, and they will come out from among them with great wealth.
I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth;
15 As for you, you will go to your fathers in peace; at the end of a long life you will be put in your last resting-place.
but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.
16 And in the fourth generation they will come back here; for at present the sin of the Amorite is not full.
In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
17 Then when the sun went down and it was dark, he saw a smoking fire and a flaming light which went between the parts of the bodies.
It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18 In that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram, and said, To your seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 The Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21 And the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
