1After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward.”

2But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me? I have no son, so my slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die.” 3Abram said, “Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will inherit everything I have.”

4Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram: “He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have.”

5Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count.”

6Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.

7God said to Abram, “I am the Lord who led you out of Ur of Babylonia so that I could give you this land to own.”

8But Abram said, “Lord God, how can I be sure that I will own this land?”

9The Lord said to Abram, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old male sheep, a dove, and a young pigeon.”

10Abram brought them all to God. Then Abram killed the animals and cut each of them into two pieces, laying each half opposite the other half. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11Later, large birds flew down to eat the animals, but Abram chased them away.

12As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. While he was asleep, a very terrible darkness came. 13Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers and travel in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves and be cruel to them for four hundred years. 14But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land, taking great wealth with them. 15And you, Abram, will die in peace and will be buried at an old age. 16After your great-great-grandchildren are born, your people will come to this land again. It will take that long, because I am not yet going to punish the Amorites for their evil behavior.”

17After the sun went down, it was very dark. Suddenly a smoking firepot and a blazing torch passed between the halves of the dead animals. 18So on that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram and said, “I will give to your descendants the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates. 19This is the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Learn More

Genesis 15

The Abrahamic Covenant

1After these events, the word of the Lord came # 1Sm 15:10; 2Sm 7:4; 1Kg 6:11; Is 38:4; Jr 1:2 to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, # Gn 26:24; Is 41:10; Jr 30:10; Lk 1:13,30 Abram.

I am your shield; # Dt 33:29; 2Sm 22:3,31; Ps 3:3; 7:10

your reward will be very great.

2But Abram said, “Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? ” # Hb obscure 3Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in # Lit a son of my house will be my heir.”

4Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body # Lit loins will be your heir.” 5He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” # Gn 22:17; 26:4; Ex 32:13; Dt 1:10; 10:22; 1Ch 27:23; Rm 4:18; Heb 11:12

6Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. # Rm 4:3,9,22; Gl 3:6; Jms 2:23

7He also said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” # Gn 11:31; 12:1; Neh 9:7-8; Ac 7:2-4

8But he said, “Lord God, how can I know # Jdg 6:17; 2Kg 20:8; Ps 86:17; Is 7:11-13; Lk 1:18 that I will possess it? ”

9He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10So he brought all these to Him, split them down the middle, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut up the birds. # Lv 1:17 11Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12As the sun was setting, a deep sleep # Gn 2:21 fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

13Then the Lord said to Abram, # Ac 7:6-7 “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners # Ex 22:21; 23:9 in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed # Lit will serve them and they will oppress them 400 years. # Ex 12:40; Gl 3:17 14However, I will judge the nation they serve, # Ex 6:6; 7:4; 12:12 and afterward they will go out with many possessions. # Ex 3:22 15But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. # Gn 25:8; 47:30 16In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” # Lit Amorites is not yet complete # Lv 18:24-28; Dn 8:23; Mt 23:32; 1Th 2:16

17When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. 18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, # Gn 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7; 26:4; Nm 34:2; Dt 34:4; Jos 21:43; Neh 9:8; Ac 7:5 from the brook of Egypt # Ex 23:31; Nm 34:1-15; Dt 1:7-8; 2Kg 24:7 to the Euphrates River: # Lit the great river, the river Euphrates 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Learn More

Choose your language

Genesis 15

Genesis 15