1 A fter these things hath the word of Jehovah been unto Abram in a vision, saying, `Fear not, Abram, I a shield to thee, thy reward exceeding great.'

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 nd Abram saith, `Lord Jehovah, what dost Thou give to me, and I am going childless? and an acquired son in my house is Demmesek Eliezer.'

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 saith, `Lo, to me Thou hast not given seed, and lo, a domestic doth heir me.'

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

4 A nd lo, the word of Jehovah unto him, saying, `This doth not heir thee; but he who cometh out from thy bowels, he doth heir thee;'

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 bringeth him out without, and saith, `Look attentively, I pray thee, towards the heavens, and count the stars, if thou art able to count them;' and He saith to him, `Thus is thy seed.'

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 hath believed in Jehovah, and He reckoneth it to him -- righteousness.

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

7 A nd He saith unto him, `I Jehovah who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give to thee this land to possess 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 saith, `Lord Jehovah, whereby do I know that I possess it?'

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

9 A nd He saith unto him, `Take for Me a heifer of three years, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of three years, and a turtle-dove, and a young bird;'

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 taketh to him all these, and separateth them in the midst, and putteth each piece over against its fellow, but the bird he hath not divided;

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 the ravenous birds come down upon the carcases, and Abram causeth them to turn back.

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

12 A nd the sun is about to go in, and deep sleep hath fallen upon Abram, and lo, a terror of great darkness is falling 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 a nd He saith to Abram, `knowing -- know that thy seed is a sojourner in a land not theirs, and they have served them, and they have afflicted 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 the nation also whom they serve I judge, and after this they go out with great substance;

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

15 a nd thou -- thou comest in unto thy fathers in peace; thou art buried in a good old age;

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

16 a nd the fourth generation doth turn back hither, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.'

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

17 A nd it cometh to pass -- the sun hath gone in, and thick darkness hath been -- and lo, a furnace of smoke, and a lamp of fire, which hath passed over 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 that day hath Jehovah made with Abram a covenant, saying, `To thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Phrat,

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 w ith the 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.”