Genesis 15

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Literal

God’s Covenant with Abram

¹After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your shield,

your very great reward.”

¹After these things the word of YHWH came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am a shield to you; your reward is exceedingly great.”

²But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

²And Abram said, “O Lord YHWH, what can You give to me, and I go childless, and the son of possession of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

³Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

³And Abram said, “Behold, You have not given to me offspring; and behold, a son of my house is inheriting me.”

⁴Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

⁴And behold, the word of YHWH came to him, saying, “This one will not inherit you, but rather one who will come from your inward parts, he will inherit you.”

⁵And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”^a

⁵And He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall be your seed.”

⁶Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.^a

⁶And he believed in YHWH, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

⁷The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

⁷And He said to him, “I am YHWH who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give to you this land to possess it.”

God Confirms His Promise

⁸But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”

⁸And he said, “Lord YHWH, by what shall I know that I will possess it?”

⁹And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

⁹And He said to him, “Bring Me a heifer being three years old, and a female goat being three years old, and a ram being three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half.

¹⁰And he brought to Him all these, and he cut them in two in the middle and placed each piece opposite the other; and the bird he did not cut in two.

¹¹And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

¹¹And the bird of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹²As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.

¹²And the sun was going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram. And behold, a terror of great darkness fell upon him.

¹³Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

¹³And He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your seed will be a sojourner in a land not theirs, and they will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

¹⁴But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.^a

¹⁴And the nation whom they serve I will judge, and after this, they shall come out with great possessions.

¹⁵You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

¹⁵And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.

¹⁶In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁶And the fourth generation, they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite here is not yet complete.”

¹⁷When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses.

¹⁷And it came to pass when the sun went down and it was dark, and behold, a smoking firepot and a burning torch that passed between these pieces.

¹⁸On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—

¹⁸On that day YHWH cut 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,

¹⁹the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

¹⁹with the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,

²⁰Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

²⁰and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,

²¹Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

²¹and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.”