Genesis 15

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

وَبَعْدَ هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ قَالَ الرَّبُّ لأَبْرَامَ فِي الرُّؤْيَا: «لا تَخَفْ يَا أَبْرَامُ. أَنَا تُرْسٌ لَكَ. وَأَجْرُكَ عَظِيمٌ جِدّاً».

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”

فَقَالَ أَبْرَامُ: «أَيُّهَا السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ أَيُّ خَيْرٍ فِي مَا تُعْطِينِي وَأَنَا مِنْ غَيْرِ عَقِبٍ وَوَارِثُ بَيْتِي هُوَ أَلِيعَازَرُ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ؟»

And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

وَقَالَ أَبْرَامُ أَيْضاً: «إِنَّكَ لَمْ تُعْطِنِي نَسْلاً، وَهَا هُوَ عَبْدٌ مَوْلُودٌ فِي بَيْتِي يَكُونُ وَارِثِي»

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”

فَأَجَابَهُ الرَّبُّ: «لَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا لَكَ وَرِيثاً، بَلِ الَّذِي يَخْرُجُ مِنْ صُلْبِكَ يَكُونُ وَرِيثَكَ».

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d] be.”

وَأَخْرَجَهُ الرَّبُّ إِلَى الْخَارِجِ وَقَالَ: «انْظُرْ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَعُدَّ النُّجُومَ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ ذَلِكَ». ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: «هَكَذَا يَكُونُ نَسْلُكَ».

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

فَآمَنَ بِالرَّبِّ فَحَسَبَهُ لَهُ بِرّاً،

He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”

وَقَالَ لَهُ: «أَنَا هُوَ الرَّبُّ الَّذِي أَتَى بِكَ مِنْ أُورِ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ لأُعْطِيَكَ هَذِهِ الأَرْضَ مِيرَاثاً».

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

فَسَأَلَ: «كَيْفَ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي أَرِثُهَا؟»

So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

فَأَجَابَهُ الرَّبُّ: «خُذْ لِي عِجْلَةً وَعَنْزَةً وَكَبْشاً، عُمْرُ كُلٍّ مِنْهَا ثَلاثُ سَنَوَاتٍ، وَيَمَامَةً وَحَمَامَةً».

Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.

فَأَخَذَ هَذِهِ كُلَّهَا وَشَقَّ الْبَهَائِمَ مِنَ الْوَسَطِ إِلَى شَطْرَيْنِ، وَجَعَلَ كُلَّ شَطْرٍ مِنْهَا مُقَابِلَ الشَّطْرِ الآخَرِ. أَمَّا الطَّيْرُ فَلَمْ يَشْطُرْهُ.

Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

وَعِنْدَمَا أَخَذَتِ الطُّيُورُ الْجَارِحَةُ تَنْقَضُّ عَلَى الْجُثَثِ زَجَرَهَا أَبْرَامُ.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

وَلَمَّا مَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ إِلَى الْمَغِيبِ غَرِقَ أَبْرَامُ فِي نَوْمٍ عَمِيقٍ، وَإذَا بِظُلْمَةٍ مُخِيفَةٍ وَمُتَكَاثِفَةٍ تَكْتَنِفُهُ.

Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّبُّ: «تَيَقَّنْ أَنَّ نَسْلَكَ سَيَتَغَرَّبُ فِي أَرْضٍ لَيْسَتْ لَهُمْ، فَيَسْتَعْبِدُهُمْ أَهْلُهَا وَيُذِلُّونَهُمْ أَرْبَعَ مِئَةِ سَنَةٍ.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

وَلَكِنَّنِي سَأَدِينُ تِلْكَ الأُمَّةَ الَّتِي اسْتَعْبَدَتْهُمْ، ثُمَّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يَخْرُجُونَ بِأَمْوَالٍ طَائِلَةٍ.

You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.

أَمَّا أَنْتَ فَسَتَمُوتُ بِسَلامٍ وَتُدْفَنُ بِشَيْبَةٍ صَالِحَةٍ.

In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

أَمَّا هُمْ فَسَيَرْجِعُونَ بَعْدَ أَرْبَعَةِ أَجْيَالٍ إِلَى هُنَا، لأَنَّ إِثْمَ الأَمُورِيِّينَ لَمْ يَكْتَمِلْ بَعْدُ».

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

وَعِنْدَمَا غَرَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَخَيَّمَ الظَّلامُ (ظَهَرَ) تَنُّورُ دُخَانٍ وَمِشْعَلُ نَارٍ يَجْتَازُ بَيْنَ تِلْكَ الْقِطَعِ.

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi^[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—

فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ قَطَعَ اللهُ عَهْداً مَعْ أَبْرَامَ قَائِلاً: «سَأُعْطِي نَسْلَكَ هَذِهِ الأَرْضَ مِنْ وَادِي الْعَرِيشِ إِلَى النَّهْرِ الْكَبِيرِ، نَهْرِ الْفُرَاتِ.

the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

أَرْضَ الْقَيْنِيِّينَ وَالْقَنِزِّيِّينَ، وَالْقَدْمُونِيِّينَ

Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

وَالْحِثِّيِّينَ وَالْفَرِزِّيِّينَ وَالرَّفَائِيِّينَ

Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

وَالأَمُورِيِّينَ وَالْكَنْعَانِيِّينَ وَالْجِرْجَاشِيِّينَ وَالْيَبُوسِيِّينَ».