Genesis 12
12
God Calls Abram
1Then the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.
2I will make you a great nation,
and I will bless you.
I will make you famous.
And you will be a blessing to others.
3I will bless those who bless you.
I will place a curse on those who harm you.
And all the people on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4So Abram left Haran as the Lord had told him. And Lot went with him. At this time Abram was 75 years old. 5Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot and everything they owned. They took all the servants they had gotten in Haran. They set out from Haran, planning to go to the land of Canaan. In time they arrived there.
6Abram traveled through that land. He went as far as the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. The Canaanites were living in the land at that time. 7The Lord appeared to Abram. The Lord said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8Then Abram traveled from Shechem to the mountain east of Bethel. And he set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. There Abram built another altar to the Lord and worshiped him. 9After this, he traveled on toward southern Canaan.
Abram Goes to Egypt
10At this time there was not much food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live because there was so little food. 11Just before they arrived in Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai, “I know you are a very beautiful woman. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This woman is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but let you live. 13Tell them you are my sister. Then things will go well with me. And I may be allowed to live because of you.”
14So Abram went into Egypt. The people of Egypt saw that Sarai was very beautiful. 15Some of the Egyptian officers saw her also. They told the king of Egypt how beautiful she was. They took her to the king’s palace. 16The king was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was Sarai’s brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle and male and female donkeys. Abram also was given male and female servants and camels.
17But the Lord sent terrible diseases on the king and all the people in his house. This was because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18So the king sent for Abram. The king said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me Sarai was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I made her my wife. But now here is your wife. Take her and leave!” 20Then the king commanded his men to make Abram leave Egypt. So Abram and his wife left with everything they owned.
Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Genesis 12
12
1Now the LORD said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will shew thee: 2and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing: 3and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
4So Abram went, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land. 11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12and it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee.
14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she-asses, and camels. 17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so that I took her to be my wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him: and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had.
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