Genesis 15

Some time later, Abram had a vision. The Lord said to him,

After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

But Abram said, “Lord and King, what can you give me? I still don’t have any children. My servant Eliezer comes from Damascus. When I die, he will get everything I own.”

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

Abram continued, “You haven’t given me any children. So this servant of mine will get everything I own.”

And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Then a message from the Lord came to Abram. The Lord said, “When you die, what you have will not go to this man. You will have a son of your own. He will get everything you have.”

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

The Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky. Count the stars, if you can.” Then he said to him, “That’s how many children will be born into your family.”

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

Abram believed the Lord. The Lord was pleased with Abram because he believed. So Abram’s faith made him right with the Lord.

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

He also said to Abram, “I am the Lord. I brought you out of Ur in the land of Babylon. I will give you this land to have as your very own.”

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

But Abram said, “Lord and King, how can I know I will have this land as my own?”

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

So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a young cow, a goat and a ram. Each must be three years old. Bring a dove and a young pigeon along with them.”

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

Abram brought all of them to the Lord. Abram cut them in two and placed the halves opposite each other. But he didn’t cut the birds in half.

And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

Then large birds came down to eat the dead bodies of the animals and birds. But Abram chased the large birds away.

And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. A thick and scary darkness covered him.

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

Then the Lord said to him, “You can be sure of what I am about to tell you. For 400 years, your family who comes after you will be strangers in another country. They will become slaves there and will be treated badly.

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

But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. After that, they will leave with many possessions.

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

But you will die in peace. You will join the members of your family who have already died. And you will be buried when you are very old.

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

Your children’s grandchildren will come back here. That’s because the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached the point where I must punish them.”

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

The sun set and it became dark. Then a burning torch and a pot filled with smoking coals appeared. They passed between the pieces of the animals that had been cut in two.

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

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He said, “I am giving this land to your family who comes after you. It reaches from the River of Egypt to the great Euphrates River.

In 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:

It includes the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

Hittites, Perizzites and Rephaites.

And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

The Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites also live there.”

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