2But Abram said, ‘Almighty Lord, there is one gift that I want. I still have no children. When I die, Eliezer of Damascus will receive everything that I have. 3Because you have not given me any children, understand this: Everything that I have will one day belong to a servant in my house.’ #15:3 Eliezer of Damascus was Abram's servant. Abram did not have any children. When Abram died, there was no son to continue the family.

4The Lord gave Abram this message: ‘No! Eliezer will not be the one who receives your things. You will have your own son. He will be the one who receives everything that you have.’

5The Lord took Abram outside. He said to Abram, ‘Look up at the sky. Count the stars. They are too many for you to count!’ Then God said, ‘That is how many descendants you will have.’

6Abram believed the Lord. As a result, the Lord accepted Abram as right with him.

7The Lord also said to Abram, ‘I am the Lord. I brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to bring you to this land. I am giving it to you. It will belong to you.’ 8But Abram said, ‘Almighty Lord, how can I be sure that this land will belong to me?’

9The Lord said to Abram, ‘Bring a young cow, a goat and a male sheep to offer them to me. Each animal must be three years old. Also bring a dove and a young pigeon.’

10Abram brought the three animals and the two birds to offer to God. Abram cut each animal in two pieces. He put the halves opposite each other. But he did not cut the birds in two pieces. 11Some birds flew down to eat the animals' dead bodies. But Abram sent them away.

12When the sun was going down, Abram started to sleep. Suddenly he became very afraid because it was dark all around him. 13Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Be sure of this: Your descendants will live in a foreign country. They will be strangers there. People will do bad things to them and they will become slaves. This will continue for 400 years. 14But I will punish the people of that country who give them trouble. After this, your descendants will leave that country. They will take many valuable things with them. 15But as for you, Abram, you will have a long life. When you die, you will have peace in your mind. 16After four generations, your descendants will come back here to Canaan. At that time, I will punish the Amorites because they do very bad things. But the time has not yet arrived that I will punish them.’ #15:16 The Amorites lived in Canaan. They did not worship the Lord God. They worshipped false gods. They killed children and gave them as sacrifices to these gods. God told Abram that when his descendants returned to Canaan, he would punish the Amorites at that time.

17Then the sun went down and it became dark. Abram saw a pot that had coals in it. The coals were burning and making smoke. There was also a branch that burned with bright fire. These passed between the halves of the animals that Abram had cut in two pieces. #15:17 The fire showed that God was passing between the halves of the animals. This showed that he was making a covenant with Abram.

18On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram. The Lord promised, ‘I give this land to your descendants. The land starts from the river of Egypt and continues as far as the River Euphrates. 19These people live in the land: Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.’ #15:21 These are the people who lived in the land of Canaan that God was giving to Abram and his descendants. Abram's descendants would win against these people. Then they would take the land for themselves to live in, because God had given it to them.

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Genesis 15

1After these things the word of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) came unto Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) in a vision, saying, Fear not, Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation): I [am] youri shield, [and youri] exceeding great reward.

2And Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) said, Lord-Adonai (Greatest Above All) GOD-Yehōvih [THE FATHER], what will youi give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eli’ezer [God is help] of Dammesek (Damascus) [silent is the sackcloth weaver]?

3And Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) said, Behold, to me youi have given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is my heir.

4And, behold, the word of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be youri heir; but he that shall come forth out of youri own bowels (inward parts; affections) shall be youri heir.

5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if youi be able to tell them: and he said unto him, So shall youri seed be.

6And he believed in the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate); and he counted it to him for righteousness.

7And he said unto him, I [am] the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) that brought youi out of ‘Ur of the Kasdim’ [The Fire of the Sorcerers], to give youi this land to inherit it.

8And he said, Lord-Adonai (Greatest Above All) GOD-Yehōvih [THE FATHER], whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9And 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.

10And 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.

11And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) drove them away.

12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation); and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13And he said unto Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation), Know of a surety that youri seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15And youi shall go to youri fathers in peace; youi shall be buried in a good old age.

16But in the fourth generation they shall come to this place (till this point in time) again: for the iniquity of the Emorim (The Talkers) is not yet full.

17And 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.

18In the same day the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) made a covenant with Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation), saying, Unto youri seed have I given this land, from the river of Mitzrayim [Egypt] (Double Distress or Double Stronghold, Black Land) unto the great river, the river Euphrates (the break forth, gush):

19The Keno (Merchants), and the Konini (possession, purchase), and the Kadmoni (ancients),

20And the Hitti (one who is broken; who fears), and the P’rizi (rustic or belonging to a village), and the Refa’im (giants, old tribe of giants; fearful; dead),

21And the Emorim (The Talkers), and the Kena’ani (low/humbled ones; merchants), and the Girgashi, and the Y’vusi (Trampled Underfoot).

For more information about the NMV, details about why the names of God are notated and translated as they are, or to learn about the special markings and translations used in this text, click below.

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Genesis 15

Genesis 15