Genesis 15
15
Abram Promised a Son
1After 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.”
2Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4Then 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.” 5And 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.” 6Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7And 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.” 8He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9So 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.” 10Then 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. 11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13God 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. 14But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17It 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. 18On 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:
19the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”
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Genesis 15
15
God’s Covenant with Abram
1After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: #ch. 26:24; Dan. 10:12; Luke 1:13, 30 “Fear not, Abram, I am #Ps. 3:3; 18:2; 84:11; 119:114your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue#15:2 Or I shall die childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and #ch. 14:14a member of my household will be my heir.” 4And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; #ch. 17:16your very own son#15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins shall be your heir.” 5And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and #Ps. 147:4 number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, #ch. 22:17; 26:4; Ex. 32:13; Deut. 1:10; 10:22; 1 Chr. 27:23; Heb. 11:12; Cited Rom. 4:18“So shall your offspring be.” 6And #Rom. 4:9, 22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23 he believed the Lord, and #Cited Rom. 4:3; [Ps. 106:31]he counted it to him as righteousness.
7And he said to him, “I am the Lord who #ch. 11:31; 12:1; Neh. 9:7, 8; Acts 7:2-4 brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans #Ps. 105:42, 44to give you this land to possess.” 8But he said, “O Lord God, #[Judg. 6:17; 2 Kgs. 20:8; Ps. 86:17; Isa. 7:11-13; Luke 1:18]how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9He 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.” 10And he brought him all these, #Jer. 34:18, 19 cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But #Lev. 1:17he did not cut the birds in half. 11And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12As the sun was going down, a #ch. 2:21deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain #Acts 7:6, 7 that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and #Ex. 1:11, 12; 3:7 they will be afflicted for #Acts 7:6; [Ex. 12:40, 41; Gal. 3:17]four hundred years. 14But #Ex. 6:6 I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward #Ex. 12:36; Ps. 105:37they shall come out with great possessions. 15As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; #ch. 25:8you shall be buried in a good old age. 16And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for #1 Kgs. 21:26; Amos 2:9 the iniquity of the Amorites #[Dan. 8:23; Matt. 23:32; 1 Thess. 2:16]is not yet complete.”
17When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, #ch. 12:7; 13:15; 24:7; 26:4; Num. 34:2; Deut. 34:4; Neh. 9:8 “To your offspring I give#15:18 Or have given this land, from #Ex. 23:31; Deut. 1:7; Josh. 1:4the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
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