1 A fter these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly 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 A bram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is 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 bram said, “Behold, to me you have given no children: 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 B ehold, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your 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 Y ahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So will your offspring 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 H e believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness.

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

7 H e said to Abram, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you 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 H e said, “Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?”

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

9 H e said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, 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 H e brought him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn’t 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 T he birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

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

12 W hen the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on 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 H e said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will 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 I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,

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

15 b ut you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.

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

16 I n the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”

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

17 I t came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these 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 that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to 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 Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

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

20 t he Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim,

21 t he Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

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