Genesis 12

Modern

Literal

The Call of Abram

¹Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.^a

¹And YHWH had said to Abram, “Go for yourself from your land and from your kindred and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you.

²I 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.

²And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and I will make great your name, and you shall be a blessing.

³I will bless those who bless you

and curse those who curse you;

and all the families of the earth

will be blessed through you.”^a

³And I will bless those blessing you, and him who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

⁴And Abram departed as YHWH had spoken to him, and Lot departed with him. And Abram was a son of five years and seventy years when he went out from Haran.

⁵And 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,

⁵And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot, son of his brother, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had made in Haran, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan. And they came to the land of Canaan.

⁶Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak^a of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.

⁶And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the Oak of Moreh. And at that time the Canaanite was in the land.

⁷Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.”^a So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

⁷And YHWH appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land.” And he built there an altar to YHWH, who had appeared to him.

⁸From 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.

⁸And he moved on from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there an altar to YHWH, and he called on the name of YHWH.

⁹And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.

⁹And Abram journeyed, going on and journeying toward the Negev.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

¹⁰Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

¹⁰And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

¹¹As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman,

¹¹And it came to pass when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Behold now, I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance.

¹²and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.

¹²And it will come to pass when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they will kill me, and you they will let live.

¹³Please 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.”

¹³Say, please, you are my sister, so that it may go well with me for your sake, and my soul may live because of you.”

¹⁴So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

¹⁴And it came to pass, when Abram entered Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

¹⁵When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh.

¹⁵And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and they commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into the house of Pharaoh.

¹⁶He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

¹⁶And Abram he treated well for her sake, and he had for himself sheep, and cattle, and male donkeys, and menservants, and maidservants, and female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

¹⁷And YHWH plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of the matter of Sarai, wife of Abram.

¹⁸So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

¹⁸And Pharaoh called to Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

¹⁹Why 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!”

¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to myself as a wife? And now, behold, your wife; take her and go!”

²⁰Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.

²⁰And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.