< Genesis 15 >

1 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.
Now when these things were done, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: Fear not, Abram, I am thy protector, and thy reward exceeding great.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abram said: Lord God, what wilt thou give me? I shall go without children: and the son of the steward of my house is this Damascus Eliezer.
3 And Abram said, Behold to me thou hast given no seed; and lo, one born in my house will be my heir.
And Abram added: But to me thou hast not given seed: and lo my servant, born in my house, shall be my heir.
4 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.
And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: He shall not be thy heir: but he that shall come out of thy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir.
5 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.
And he brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if thou canst. And he said to him: So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he accounted it to him for righteousness.
Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.
7 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.
And he said to him: I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, and that thou mightest possess it.
8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
But he said: Lord God, whereby may I know that I shall possess it?
9 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.
And the Lord answered, and said: Take me a cow of three years old, and a she goat of three years, and a ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon.
10 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.
And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of each one against the other; but the birds he divided not.
11 And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses; but Abram drove them away.
And the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was about going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror, dark and great, fell upon him.
And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him.
13 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.
And it was said unto him: Know thou beforehand that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own, and they shall bring them under bondage, and afflict them four hundred years.
14 And also that nation whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they go out with great substance.
But I will judge the nation which they shall serve, and after this they shall come out with great substance.
15 But thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and be buried in a good old age.
16 Yet the fourth generation shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Emorites will not be full until then.
But in the fourth generation they shall return hither: for as yet the iniquities of the Amorrhites are not at the full until this present time.
17 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.
And when the sun was set, there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.
18 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;
That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates.
19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
The Cineans and Cenezites, the Cedmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,
And the Hethites, and the Pherezites, the Raphaim also,
21 And the Emorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
And the Amorrhites, and the Chanaanites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.

< Genesis 15 >