And in #Gen. 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Ps. 72:17; Matt. 1:1; Luke 3:34; Acts 3:25; (Gal. 3:8)you all the families of the earth shall be #Is. 41:27blessed.”

4So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and #Gen. 14:14the people whom they had acquired in #Gen. 11:31Haran, and they #Gen. 13:18departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6Abram #Heb. 11:9passed through the land to the place of Shechem, #Deut. 11:30; Judg. 7:1as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. #Gen. 10:18, 19And the Canaanites were then in the land.

7#Gen. 17:1; 18:1Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, #Gen. 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; Deut. 34:4; Ps. 105:9–12; Acts 7:5; Gal. 3:16“To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an #Gen. 13:4, 18; 22:9altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and #Gen. 4:26; 13:4; 21:33called on the name of the Lord. 9So Abram journeyed, #Gen. 13:1, 3; 20:1; 24:62going on still toward the South.

Abram in Egypt

10Now there was #Gen. 26:1a famine in the land, and Abram #Ps. 105:13went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was #Gen. 43:1severe in the land. 11And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are #Gen. 12:14; 26:7; 29:17a woman of beautiful countenance. 12Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they #Gen. 20:11; 26:7will kill me, but they will let you live. 13#Gen. 20:1–18; 26:6–11Please say you are my #Gen. 20:12sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”

14So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16He #Gen. 20:14treated Abram well for her sake. He #Gen. 13:2had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17But the Lord #Gen. 20:18; 1 Chr. 16:21; (Ps. 105:14)plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram and said, #Gen. 20:9, 10; 26:10“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’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20#(Prov. 21:1)So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.

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Genesis 12

God Chooses Abram

1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.

2“I will make you into a great nation.

And I will bless you.

I will make your name great.

You will be a blessing to others.

3I will bless those who bless you.

I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you.

All nations on earth

will be blessed because of you.”

4So Abram went, just as the Lord had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Harran. 5He took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. They took all the people and possessions they had acquired in Harran. They started out for the land of Canaan. And they arrived there.

6Abram traveled through the land. He went as far as the large tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were living in the land. 7The Lord appeared to Abram at Shechem. He said, “I will give this land to your family who comes after you.” So Abram built an altar there to honor the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8From there, Abram went on toward the hills east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. Abram built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord.

9Then Abram left and continued south toward the Negev Desert.

Abram Goes to Egypt

10At that time there was not enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while. 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he spoke to his wife Sarai. He said, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12The people of Egypt will see you and say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me. But they will let you live. 13Tell them you are my sister. Then I’ll be treated well and my life will be spared because of you.”

14Abram arrived in Egypt. The Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they told Pharaoh how beautiful she was. So she was taken into his palace. 16Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her. So Abram gained more sheep and cattle and male and female donkeys. He also gained more male and female servants and some camels.

17But the Lord sent terrible sicknesses on Pharaoh and everyone in his palace. The Lord did it because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh sent for Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19Why did you say she was your sister? That’s why I took her to be my wife. Now then, here’s your wife. Take her and go!” 20Then Pharaoh gave orders to his men about Abram. They sent him on his way. So he left with his wife and everything he had.

Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®

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Genesis 12

Genesis 12