< Genesis 12 >

1 Then the Lord said to Abram: “Depart from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and come into the land that I will show you.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you will be blessed.
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
4 And so Abram departed just as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
5 And he took his wife Sarai, and Lot, the son of his brother, and all the substance which they had come to possess, and the lives which they had acquired in Haran, and they departed in order to go to the land of Canaan. And when they arrived in it,
And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
6 Abram passed through the land even to the place of Shechem, as far as the famous steep valley. Now at that time, the Canaanite was in the land.
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and he said to him, “To your offspring, I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 And passing on from there to a mountain, which was opposite the east of Bethel, he pitched his tent there, having Bethel to the west, and Hai on the east. He also built an altar there to the Lord, and he called upon his name.
From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
9 And Abram traveled, going out and continuing further on, toward the south.
And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.
10 But a famine occurred in the land. And Abram descended to Egypt, to sojourn there. For famine prevailed over the land.
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
11 And when he was close to entering Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai: “I know you to be a beautiful woman.
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman,
12 And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ And they will put me to death, and retain you.
and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.
13 Therefore, I beg you to say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and so that my soul may live by your favor.”
Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.”
14 And so, when Abram had arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was exceedingly beautiful.
So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
15 And the princes reported it to Pharaoh, and they praised her to him. And the woman was inducted into the house of Pharaoh.
When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh.
16 In truth, they treated Abram well because of her. And he had sheep and oxen and male donkeys, and men servants, and women servants, and female donkeys, and camels.
He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
17 But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his house with great wounds because of Sarai, the wife of Abram.
The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and he said to him: “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife?
So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
19 For what reason did you claim her to be your sister, so that I would take her to me as a wife? Now therefore, behold your mate, receive her and go.”
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
20 And Pharaoh instructed his men about Abram. And they led him away with his wife and all that he had.
Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.

< Genesis 12 >