< Genesis 12 >

1 For the Lord had said vnto Abram, Get thee out of thy countrey, and from thy kindred, and from thy fathers house vnto the land that I will shewe thee.
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.
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and will blesse thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you will be blessed.
3 I will also blesse them that blesse thee, and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
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.”
4 So Abram departed, euen as ye Lord spake vnto him, and Lot went with him. (And Abram was seuentie and fiue yeere olde, when he departed out of Haran)
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.
5 Then Abram tooke Sarai his wife, and Lot his brothers sonne, and all their substance that they possessed, and the soules that they had gotten in Haran, and they departed, to goe to the land of Canaan: and to the land of Canaan they came.
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,
6 So Abram passed through the land vnto the place of Shechem, and vnto the plaine of Moreh (and the Canaanite was then in ye land)
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.
7 And the Lord appeared vnto Abram, and said, Vnto thy seede will I giue this land. And there builded he an altar vnto the Lord, which appeared vnto him.
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.
8 Afterward remouing thence vnto a moutaine Eastward from Beth-el, he pitched his tent hauing Beth-el on the Westside, and Haai on the East: and there he built an altar vnto the Lord, and called on the Name of the Lord.
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.
9 Againe Abram went forth going and iourneying toward the South.
And Abram traveled, going out and continuing further on, toward the south.
10 Then there came a famine in the land: therefore Abram went downe into Egypt to soiourne there: for there was a great famine in the lande.
But a famine occurred in the land. And Abram descended to Egypt, to sojourn there. For famine prevailed over the land.
11 And when he drewe neere to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, Beholde nowe, I know that thou art a faire woman to looke vpon:
And when he was close to entering Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai: “I know you to be a beautiful woman.
12 Therefore it will come to passe, that when the Egyptians see thee, they will say, She is his wife: so will they kill me, but they will keepe thee aliue.
And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ And they will put me to death, and retain you.
13 Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that I may fare well for thy sake, and that my life may be preserued by thee.
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.”
14 Nowe when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians behelde the woman: for she was very faire.
And so, when Abram had arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was exceedingly beautiful.
15 And the Princes of Pharaoh sawe her, and commended her vnto Pharaoh: so the woman was taken into Pharaohs house:
And the princes reported it to Pharaoh, and they praised her to him. And the woman was inducted into the house of Pharaoh.
16 Who intreated Abram well for her sake, and he had sheepe, and beeues, and hee asses, and men seruants and maide seruants, and shee asses, and camelles.
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.
17 But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues, because of Sarai Abrams wife.
But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his house with great wounds because of Sarai, the wife of Abram.
18 Then Pharaoh called Abram, and saide, Why hast thou done this vnto me? Wherefore diddest thou not tell me, that she was thy wife?
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?
19 Why saidest thou, She is my sister, that I should take her to be my wife? Nowe therefore beholde thy wife, take her and goe thy way.
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.”
20 And Pharaoh gaue men commandement concerning him: and they conueyed him forth, and his wife, and all that he had.
And Pharaoh instructed his men about Abram. And they led him away with his wife and all that he had.

< Genesis 12 >