Genesis 15
1 After all this had happened, God spoke to Abram in a vision, telling him, “Don't be afraid, Abram! I am your protector, and your truly great reward!”
And so whanne these thingis weren don, the word of the Lord was maad to Abram bi a visioun, and seide, Abram, nyle thou drede, Y am thi defender, and thi meede is ful greet.
2 But Abram replied, “Lord God, what good is whatever you give me? I don't have any children, and the heir to all that I have is Eliezer of Damascus.”
And Abram seide, Lord God, what schalt thou yyue to me? Y schal go with oute fre children, and this Damask, sone of Elieser, the procuratour of myn hous, schal be myn eir.
3 Abram went on to complain, “Look! You haven't given me any children, so a servant from my household has to be my heir!”
And Abram addide, Sotheli thou hast not youe seed to me, and, lo! my borun seruaunt schal be myn eir.
4 But then the Lord told him, “This man won't be your heir. Your heir will be your very own son.”
And anoon the word of the Lord was maad to hym, and seide, This schal not be thin eir, but thou schalt haue hym eir, that schal go out of thi wombe.
5 The Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky. See if you can count the stars! That's how many descendants you will have!”
And the Lord ledde out Abram, and seide to hym, Biholde thou heuene, and noumbre thou sterris, if thou maist. And the Lord seide to Abram, So thi seed schal be.
6 Abram trusted what the Lord said, and so the Lord counted Abram as being in a right relationship with him.
Abram bileuede to God, and it was arettid to hym to riytfulnesse.
7 The Lord also told him, “I am the Lord, who led you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for you to own.”
And God seide to hym, Y am the Lord, that ladde thee out of Vr of Caldeis, that Y schulde yyue this lond to thee, and thou schuldist haue it in possessioun.
8 “But Lord God, how can I be certain that I will own it?” Abram asked.
And Abram seide, Lord God, wherbi may I wite that Y schal welde it?
9 The Lord told him, “Bring me a cow, a goat, and a ram, all of them three years old, together with a dove and a young pigeon.”
And the Lord answerde, and seide, Take thou to me a cow of thre yeer, and a geet of thre yeer, and a ram of thre yeer, a turtle also, and a culuer.
10 So Abram took and killed the three animals. Then he cut them in half, and placed each half opposite the other. However, he didn't cut the birds in half.
Which took alle these thingis, and departide tho bi the myddis, and settide euer eithir partis ech ayens other; but he departide not the briddis.
11 When vultures flew down on the carcasses, Abram frightened them off.
And foulis camen doun on the careyns, and Abram drof hem awey.
12 As the sun went down, a deep sleep came over Abram, and at the same time a dense and terrifying darkness fell on him.
And whanne the sunne was gon doun, drede felde on Abram, and a greet hidousenesse and derk asaylide him.
13 The Lord explained to Abram, “You can be absolutely sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be slaves and mistreated for 400 years.
And it was seid to hym, Wite thou bifore knowinge, that thi seed schal be pilgrim foure hundrid yeer in a lond not his owne, and thei schulen make hem suget to seruage, and thei schulen turment hem;
14 However, I will punish the nation that makes them slaves, and later on they will leave, taking many valuable possessions with them.
netheles Y schal deme the folk to whom thei schulen serue; and aftir these thingis thei schulen go out with greet catel.
15 But as for you, you will die in peace and be buried, having lived a good long life.
Forsothe thou schalt go to thi fadris in pees, and schalt be biried in good age.
16 Four generations later your descendants will come back here to live, because right now the sins of the Amorites have not reached their full extent.”
Sotheli in the fourthe generacioun thei schulen turne ayen hidir, for the wickidnesses of Amoreis ben not yit fillid, `til to present tyme.
17 After the sun set and it grew dark, suddenly a smoking furnace and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the animal carcasses.
Therfor whanne the sunne was gon doun, a derk myst was maad, and a furneis smokynge apperide, and a laumpe of fier, and passide thorou tho departingis.
18 This is how the Lord made an agreement with Abram that day and promised him, “I'm giving this land to your descendants. It extends from the Wadi of Egypt to the great Euphrates River,
In that dai the Lord made a couenaunt of pees with Abram, and seide, Y schal yyue to thi seed this lond, fro the ryuer of Egipt til to the greet ryuer Eufrates; Cyneis,
19 and includes the territory of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
and Cyneseis, and Cethmoneis, and Etheis,
20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
and Fereseis, and Raphaym, and Amorreis,
21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
and Cananeis, and Gergeseis, and Jebuseis.
