1 ¶ 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.

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a special dream, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your safe place. Your reward will be very great.”

2 ¶ 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?

Then Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me? For I have no child. And the one who is to receive what belongs to me is Eliezer of Damascus.”

3 A nd Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.

Abram said, “Because You have not given me a child, one born in my house will be given all I have.”

4 A nd then the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thy heir.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be given what is yours. But he who will come from your own body will be given what is yours.”

5 A nd he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if thou art able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

He took him outside and said, “Now look up into the heavens and add up the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “Your children and your children’s children will be as many as the stars.”

6 A nd he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Then Abram believed in the Lord, and that made him right with God.

7 ¶ 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.

God said to him, “I am the Lord Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for your own.”

8 A nd he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

And Abram said, “O Lord God, how may I know that it will be mine?”

9 A nd he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old and a she goat three years old and a ram three years old and a turtledove and a young pigeon.

So the Lord said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

10 A nd he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another, but he did not divide the birds.

Then Abram brought all these to Him, and cut them in two. And he laid each half beside the other. But he did not cut the birds.

11 A nd when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

When the meat-eating birds came down upon the dead animals, Abram made them go away.

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

When the sun was going down, Abram went into a sleep as if he were dead. And much fear and darkness came upon him.

13 T hen 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;

God said to Abram, “Know for sure that your children and those born after them will be strangers in a land that is not theirs. There they will be servants and suffer for 400 years.

14 a nd also that nation, whom they shall serve, I will judge; and afterward shall they come out with great riches.

But I will punish the nation they will serve. And later they will come out with many riches.

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

You will live many years, die in peace and be buried.

16 B ut in the fourth generation they shall come here again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Then your great great-grandchildren will return here. For the sins of the Amorite are not yet finished.”

17 ¶ 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.

When the sun had gone down and it was very dark, a fire pot of smoke and a burning fire passed between these parts of animals.

18 I n the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed shall I give this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

The Lord made an agreement with Abram on that day. He said, “I have given this land to your children and to their children’s children, from the river of Egypt as far as the big Euphrates River,

19 t he Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite

the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite,

20 a nd the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim

the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim,

21 a nd the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.

the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”