1 A fter 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.”

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.

2 T hen 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.”

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?

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

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

4 T hen 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.”

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.

5 H e 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.”

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.

6 T hen Abram believed in the Lord, and that made him right with God.

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

7 G od said to him, “I am the Lord Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for your 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.

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

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

9 S o 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.”

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.

10 T hen 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

13 G od 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.

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;

14 B ut I will punish the nation they will serve. And later they will come out with many riches.

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

15 Y ou will live many years, die in peace and be buried.

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

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

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

17 W hen 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.

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.

18 T he 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,

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:

19 t he land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite,

the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 t he Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim,

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

21 t he Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

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