1 A fter these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “ Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”

2 A bram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3 A nd Abram said, “ Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”

4 T hen behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

5 A nd He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “ So shall your descendants be.”

6 T hen he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

7 A nd He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”

8 H e said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?”

9 S o He said to him, “ 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 T hen he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.

11 T he birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 N ow when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

13 G od said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.

14 B ut I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

15 A s for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.

16 T hen in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

17 I t came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.

18 O n that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “ To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:

19 t he Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite

20 a nd the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim

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