Abram Promised a Son
15 After these things (A)the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“(B)Do not fear, Abram,
I am (C)a shield to you;
[a]Your (D)reward shall be very great.”
2 Abram said, “O Lord [b]God, what will You give me, since I [c]am childless, and the [d]heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “[e]Since You have given no [f]offspring to me, [g]one (E)born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; (F)but one who will come forth from your own [h]body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and (G)count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “(H)So shall your [i]descendants be.” 6 (I)Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of (J)Ur of the Chaldeans, to (K)give you this land to [j]possess it.” 8 He said, “O Lord [k]God, (L)how may I know that I will [l]possess it?” 9 So He said to him, “[m]Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he [n]brought all these to Him and (M)cut them [o]in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he (N)did not cut the birds. 11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, (O)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, [p]terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 God said to Abram, “Know for certain that (P)your [q]descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, [r]where (Q)they will be enslaved and oppressed (R)four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out (S)with [s]many possessions. 15 As for you, (T)you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 Then in (U)the fourth generation they will return here, for (V)the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17 It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which (W)passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“(X)To your [t]descendants I have given this land,
From (Y)the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 (Z)the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 15:1 Or Your very great reward
- Genesis 15:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Genesis 15:2 Lit go
- Genesis 15:2 Lit son of acquisition
- Genesis 15:3 Lit Behold
- Genesis 15:3 Lit seed
- Genesis 15:3 Lit and behold, a son of
- Genesis 15:4 Lit inward parts
- Genesis 15:5 Lit seed
- Genesis 15:7 Or inherit
- Genesis 15:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Genesis 15:8 Or inherit
- Genesis 15:9 Lit Take
- Genesis 15:10 Lit took
- Genesis 15:10 Lit in the midst
- Genesis 15:12 Or a terror of great darkness
- Genesis 15:13 Lit seed
- Genesis 15:13 Lit and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them
- Genesis 15:14 Lit great
- Genesis 15:18 Lit seed
Cross references
- Genesis 15:1 : Gen 15:4; 46:2; 1 Sam 15:10
- Genesis 15:1 : Gen 21:17; 26:24; Is 41:10
- Genesis 15:1 : Deut 33:29
- Genesis 15:1 : Num 18:20; Ps 58:11
- Genesis 15:3 : Gen 14:14
- Genesis 15:4 : Gal 4:28
- Genesis 15:5 : Gen 22:17; 26:4; Deut 1:10
- Genesis 15:5 : Ex 32:13; Rom 4:18; Heb 11:12
- Genesis 15:6 : Rom 4:3, 20-22; Gal 3:6; James 2:23
- Genesis 15:7 : Gen 11:31
- Genesis 15:7 : Gen 13:15, 17
- Genesis 15:8 : Judg 6:36-40; Luke 1:18
- Genesis 15:10 : Gen 15:17
- Genesis 15:10 : Lev 1:17
- Genesis 15:12 : Gen 2:21; 28:11; Job 33:15
- Genesis 15:13 : Acts 7:6, 17
- Genesis 15:13 : Ex 1:11; Deut 5:15
- Genesis 15:13 : Ex 12:40; Gal 3:17
- Genesis 15:14 : Ex 12:32-38
- Genesis 15:15 : Gen 25:8; 47:30
- Genesis 15:16 : Gen 15:13
- Genesis 15:16 : Lev 18:24-28
- Genesis 15:17 : Jer 34:18, 19
- Genesis 15:18 : Gen 17:8; Josh 21:43; Acts 7:5
- Genesis 15:18 : Ex 23:31; Num 34:1-15; Deut 1:7, 8
- Genesis 15:19 : Ex 3:17; 23:28; Josh 24:11; Neh 9:8