Genesis 15

1 And so, these things having been transacted, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your protector, and your reward is exceedingly great.”

After these things the word of Jehovah came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said: “Lord God, what will you give to me? I may go without children. And the son of the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.”

And Abram said, Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me? seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.

3 And Abram added: “Yet to me you have not given offspring. And behold, my servant born in my house will be my heir.”

And Abram said, Lo, to me thou hast given no seed, and behold, a son of my house will be mine heir.

4 And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: “This one will not be your heir. But he who will come from your loins, the same will you have for your heir.”

And behold, the word of Jehovah [came] to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that will come forth out of thy body shall be thine heir.

5 And he brought him outside, and he said to him, “Take in the heavens, and number the stars, if you can.” And he said to him, “So also will your offspring be.”

And he led him out, and said, Look now toward the heavens, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said to him, So shall thy seed be!

6 Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

And he believed Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him [as] righteousness.

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who led you away from Ur of the Chaldeans, so as to give you this land, and so that you would possess it.”

And he said to him, I am Jehovah who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give thee this land to possess it.

8 But he said, “Lord God, in what way may I be able to know that I will possess it?”

And he said, Lord Jehovah, how shall I know that I shall possess it?

9 And the Lord responded by saying: “Take for me a cow of three years, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of three years, also a turtle-dove and a pigeon.”

And he said to him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10 Taking all these, he divided them through the middle, and placed both parts opposite one another. But the birds he did not divide.

And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the half of each opposite its fellow; but the birds he did not divide.

11 And birds descended upon the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

And the birds of prey came down on the carcases; and Abram scared them away.

12 And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a dread, great and dark, invaded him.

And as the sun was just going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, a horror, a great darkness, fell upon him.

13 And it was said to him: “Know beforehand that your future offspring will be sojourners in a land not their own, and they will subjugate them in servitude and afflict them for four hundred years.

And he said to Abram, Know assuredly that thy seed will be a sojourner in a land [that is] not theirs, and they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

14 Yet truly, I will judge the nation that they will serve, and after this they will depart with great substance.

But also that nation which they shall serve I will judge; and afterwards they shall come out with great property.

15 But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16 But in the fourth generation, they will return here. For the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet completed, even to this present time.”

And [in the] fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17 Then, when the sun had set, there came a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.

And it came to pass when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking furnace, and a flame of fire which passed between those pieces.

18 On that day, God formed a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt, even to the great river Euphrates:

On the same day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates;

19 the land of the Kenites and the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites

the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, likewise the Rephaim,

and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,

21 and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.