Genesis 15
The LORD appeared to Abram in a vision, promised him an heir from his own body, and told him to count the stars — so would his seed be. Abram believed the LORD, and it was counted to him as righteousness. God made a covenant with Abram, foretelling that his descendants would be strangers and servants in a foreign land for 400 years before returning to possess the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. | After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not fear, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.' |
| 2 | And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? | But Abram said, 'Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?' |
| 3 | And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. | Abram said, ' you have given me no seed, and a servant born in my house is my heir.' |
| 4 | And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. | Then the word of the LORD came to Him, saying, 'This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be Your heir.' |
| 5 | And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. | He brought Him outside and said, 'Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if You are able to count them.' Then He said to Him, 'So shall Your seed be.' |
| 6 | And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. | Abram believed the LORD. He counted it to Him as righteousness. |
| 7 | And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. | He said to Him, 'I am the LORD Who brought You out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give You this land to inherit it.' |
| 8 | And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? | But Abram said, 'Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?' |
| 9 | And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, 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 | And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. | So He brought Him all these, cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other. But He did not cut the birds in two. |
| 11 | And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. | When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. |
| 12 | And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. | As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and a dreadful great darkness fell upon him. |
| 13 | And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; | Then he said to Abram, 'Know for certain that your seed will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs. They will be servants there. They will be afflicted for 400 years. |
| 14 | And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. | But I will also judge the nation whom they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. |
| 15 | And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. | As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. |
| 16 | But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. | In the fourth generation they shall come back here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.' |
| 17 | And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. | When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. |
| 18 | In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: | On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, |
| 19 | The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, | The Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, |
| 20 | And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, | The Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, |
| 21 | And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. | The Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.' |