Genesis 15
1 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.
After 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.”
2 And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me.
But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.
Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you.
Then 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.”
5 And he took him out into the open air, and said to him, Let your eyes be lifted to heaven, and see if the stars may be numbered; even so will your seed be.
And 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.”
6 And he had faith in the Lord, and it was put to his account as righteousness.
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
7 And he said to him, I am the Lord, who took you from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land for your heritage.
The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
8 And he said, O Lord God, how may I be certain that it will be mine?
But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”
9 And he said, Take a young cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a sheep of three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon.
And 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.”
10 All these he took, cutting them in two and putting one half opposite the other, but not cutting the birds in two.
So 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.
11 And evil birds came down on the bodies, but Abram sent them away.
And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep came on Abram, and a dark cloud of fear.
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.
13 And he said to Abram, Truly, your seed will be living in a land which is not theirs, as servants to a people who will be cruel to them for four hundred years;
Then 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.
14 But I will be the judge of that nation whose servants they are, and they will come out from among them with great wealth.
But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.
15 As for you, you will go to your fathers in peace; at the end of a long life you will be put in your last resting-place.
You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.
16 And in the fourth generation they will come back here; for at present the sin of the Amorite is not full.
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 Then when the sun went down and it was dark, he saw a smoking fire and a flaming light which went between the parts of the bodies.
When 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.
18 In that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram, and said, To your seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
On 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—
19 The Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
21 And the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
