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.#12:1 Cited in Acts 7:3

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.

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.#12:3 See Galatians 3:8”

4So Abram departed, as the Lord had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left 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, 6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak #12:6 Or Terebinth or Great Tree of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.

7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.#12:7 Cited in Galatians 3:16” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, 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.

9And Abram journeyed on 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. 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman, 12and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you 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.”

14So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh. 16He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

17The Lord, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me 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!”

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

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Genesis 12

The Call of Abram

1#Heb 11:8; Ge 15:7Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your family, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2#Ge 18:18; Dt 26:5; Ge 15:5 I will make of you a great nation;

I will bless you

and make your name great,

so that you will be a blessing.

3#Ge 22:18; 26:4; 27:29 I will bless them who bless you

and curse him who curses you,#From the Septuagint, a cloak with long sleeves, a full-length cloak, or an embroidered cloak, showing favoritism.

and in you all families of the earth

will be blessed.”

4#Ge 11:27; 11:31So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Harran. 5#Ge 14:14; 11:31Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had accumulated, and the people that they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. They came to the land of Canaan.

6#Dt 11:30; Ge 35:4Then Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites were in the land at that time. 7#Ge 13:15; 17:1The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8#Ge 4:26; Ne 11:31From there he continued on to a mountain to the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9#Ge 13:3; 24:62Then Abram continued his journey toward the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

Ge 20:1–18; 26:1–11

10#Ge 43:1Now there was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11#Ge 26:7; 29:17When he was getting near to Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know you are a beautiful woman. 12#Ge 20:11; 26:7Therefore, when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will then kill me, but they will let you live. 13#Ge 20:2; 26:7Say you are my sister so that I may be treated well for your sake. Then my life will be spared because of you.”

14So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. 15#Ge 20:2The princes of Pharaoh saw her and commended her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16#Ge 13:2; 20:14He treated Abram well for her sake and he had sheep and livestock, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

17#1Ch 16:21; Ge 20:18But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai. 18#Ge 20:9–10So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What have you 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 here is your wife; take her and leave.” 20Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

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Genesis 12

Genesis 12