Lech-Lecha

12:1 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 12:3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land. 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “ I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 12:8 From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD. 12:9 And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev. Abram and Sarai in Egypt 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 12:11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “ Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman, 12:12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘ This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 12:13 Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.”

12:14 So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh ’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh. 12:16 He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. 12:17 The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “ What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘ She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 12:20 Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions. 13:1 So Abram went up out of Egypt into the Negev — he and his wife and all his possessions— and Lot was with him. 13:2 And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold. 13:3 From the Negev he journeyed from place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched, 13:4 to the site where he had built the altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 13:6 But the land was unable to support both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they were unable to coexist. 13:7 And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land. 13:8 So Abram said to Lot, “ Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers. 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.” Lot Proceeds toward Sodom 13:10 And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. ( This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 13:11 So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself and set out toward the east. And Abram and Lot parted company. 13:12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD. God Renews the Promise to Abram 13:14 After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “ Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, 13:15 for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. 13:16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. 13:17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and breadth, for I will give it to you.” 13:18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

14:1 In those days Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim 14:2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela ( that is, Zoar). 14:3 The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Siddim ( that is, the Salt Sea). 14:4 For twelve years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert. 14:7 Then they turned back to invade En-mishpat ( that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar. 14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela ( that is, Zoar) marched out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Siddim 14:9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Abram Rescues Lot 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some men fell into the pits, but the survivors fled to the hill country. 14:11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went on their way. 14:12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in Sodom. 14:13 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram. 14:14 And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan. 14:15 During the night, Abram divided his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people. Melchizedek Blesses Abram (Psalms 110:1–7; Hebrews 7:1–10) 14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh ( that is, the King ’s Valley). 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine —since he was priest of God Most High — 14:19 and he blessed Abram and said: “ Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 14:20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

14:21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “ Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “ I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 14:23 that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, ‘ I have made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me — Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.” 15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “ Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” 15:2 But Abram replied, “ O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 15:3 Abram continued, “ Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 15:4 Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “ This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 15:5 And the LORD took him outside and said, “ Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “ So shall your offspring be.” 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

15:7 The LORD also told him, “ I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” God Confirms His Promise (Numbers 34:1–15; Romans 4:13–25) 15:8 But Abram replied, “ Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?” 15:9 And the LORD said to him, “ Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. 15:11 And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 15:12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. 15:13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “ Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 15:14 But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. 15:15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. 15:16 In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 15:17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “ To your descendants I have given this land— from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates — 15:19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 16:1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “ Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 16:3 So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife. 16:4 And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “ May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.” 16:6 “ Here,” said Abram, “ your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her. 16:7 Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert — the spring along the road to Shur. 16:8 “ Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “ where have you come from, and where are you going?” “ I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied. 16:9 So the angel of the LORD told her, “ Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 16:10 Then the angel added, “ I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.” 16:11 The angel of the LORD proceeded: “ Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. 16:12 He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone ’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 16:13 So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “ You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “ Here I have seen the One who sees me!” 16:14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered. 16:15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him. 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “ I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless. 17:2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” 17:3 Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 17:4 “ As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 17:5 No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 17:6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

17:7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 17:8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing— all the land of Canaan — as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.” The Covenant of Circumcision 17:9 God also said to Abraham, “ You must keep My covenant — you and your descendants in the generations after you. 17:10 This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. 17:11 You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 17:12 Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner — even those who are not your offspring. 17:13 Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant. 17:14 But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” 17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “ As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. 17:16 And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.” 17:17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “ Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “ O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” 17:19 But God replied, “ Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” 17:22 When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 17:23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money — every male among the members of Abraham ’s household — and he circumcised them, just as God had told him. 17:24 So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 17:25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 17:27 And all the men of Abraham’s household — both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners — were circumcised with him.