GenesisChapter 15

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¹After these things, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision. He said, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield. I am your very great reward." ²But Abram answered, "Lord GOD, what can you give me? I still have no children. The one who will get everything I own is Eliezer of Damascus." ³Abram went on, "Look, you have not given me any children. So a servant in my house will get everything I have." ⁴Then the LORD spoke to Abram again. He said, "This man will not get what is yours. A son from your own body will get it." ⁵The LORD took Abram outside. He said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can." Then he told him, "That is how many your offspring will be." ⁶Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ⁷The LORD also said to him, "I am the LORD. I brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans. I did it to give you this land to own." ⁸But Abram said, "Lord GOD, how can I know that I will own it?" ⁹The LORD said to him, "Bring me a young cow, a goat, and a ram. Each must be three years old. Also bring a dove and a young pigeon." ¹⁰So Abram brought all these to the LORD. He cut each animal in half. He laid the halves across from each other. But he did not cut the birds in half. ¹¹Then birds of prey came down on the dead bodies. But Abram chased them away. ¹²As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. Suddenly a great fear and darkness came over him. ¹³Then the LORD said to Abram, "You can be sure of this. Your children's children will be strangers in a land that isn't theirs. They will be made slaves there. They will be treated badly for 400 years. ¹⁴But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves. After that they will come out with many riches. ¹⁵But you will join your fathers in peace. You will be buried when you are very old. ¹⁶In the fourth generation, your people will come back here. That's because the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." ¹⁷The sun went down, and it was dark. Then suddenly a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared. They passed between the halves of the animals. ¹⁸On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram. He said, "I have given this land to your descendants. It reaches from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River. ¹⁹It is the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, ²⁰Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, ²¹Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."