Genesis 15

1 And so, these things having been transacted, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your protector, and your reward is exceedingly great.”

After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not Abram; I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceedingly great.

2 And Abram said: “Lord God, what will you give to me? I may go without children. And the son of the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.”

And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram added: “Yet to me you have not given offspring. And behold, my servant born in my house will be my heir.”

And Abram said, Behold to me thou hast given no seed; and lo, one born in my house will be my heir.

4 And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: “This one will not be your heir. But he who will come from your loins, the same will you have for your heir.”

And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This one shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thy heir.

5 And he brought him outside, and he said to him, “Take in the heavens, and number the stars, if you can.” And he said to him, “So also will your offspring be.”

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward the heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them; and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

And he believed in the Lord; and he accounted it to him for righteousness.

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who led you away from Ur of the Chaldeans, so as to give you this land, and so that you would possess it.”

And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give unto thee this land, to inherit it.

8 But he said, “Lord God, in what way may I be able to know that I will possess it?”

And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9 And the Lord responded by saying: “Take for me a cow of three years, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of three years, also a turtle-dove and a pigeon.”

And he said unto him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10 Taking all these, he divided them through the middle, and placed both parts opposite one another. But the birds he did not divide.

And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one opposite the other; but the birds he did not divide.

11 And birds descended upon the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses; but Abram drove them away.

12 And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a dread, great and dark, invaded him.

And when the sun was about going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror, dark and great, fell upon him.

13 And it was said to him: “Know beforehand that your future offspring will be sojourners in a land not their own, and they will subjugate them in servitude and afflict them for four hundred years.

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land which is not theirs, and they will make them serve, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

14 Yet truly, I will judge the nation that they will serve, and after this they will depart with great substance.

And also that nation whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they go out with great substance.

15 But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.

But thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16 But in the fourth generation, they will return here. For the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet completed, even to this present time.”

Yet the fourth generation shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Emorites will not be full until then.

17 Then, when the sun had set, there came a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.

And it came to pass, when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, that behold a smoking furnace, and a burning flame, which passed between those pieces.

18 On that day, God formed a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt, even to the great river Euphrates:

On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates;

19 the land of the Kenites and the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites

The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, likewise the Rephaim,

And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,

21 and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

And the Emorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.