Genesis 15

God’s Agreement with Abram

1After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision. God said, “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will defend you. And I will give you a great reward.”

2But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me? I have no son. So my slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die.” 3Abram said, “Look, you have given me no son. So a slave born in my house will inherit everything I have.”

4Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram. He said, “That slave will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own. And your son will inherit what you have.”

5Then God led Abram outside. God said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. And your descendants will be too many to count.”

6Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.

7God said to Abram, “I am the Lord who led you out of Ur of Babylonia. I did that so I could give you this land to own.”

8But Abram said, “Lord God, how can I be sure that I will own this land?”

9The Lord said to Abram, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat and a three-year-old male sheep. Also bring me a dove and a young pigeon.”

10Abram brought them all to God. Then Abram killed the animals and cut each of them into two pieces. He laid each half opposite the other half. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11Later, large birds flew down to eat the animals. But Abram chased them away.

12As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. While he was asleep, a very terrible darkness came. 13Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers and travel in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves. And they will do cruel things to them for 400 years. 14But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land, taking great wealth with them. 15Abram, you will live to be very old. You will die in peace and will be buried. 16After your great-great-grandchildren are born, your people will come to this land again. It will take that long, because the Amorites are not yet evil enough to punish.”

17The sun went down, and it was very dark. Suddenly a smoking firepot and a blazing torch passed between the halves of the dead animals.# This showed that God sealed the agreement between himself and Abram. 18So on that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram. The Lord said, “I will give this land to your descendants. I will give them the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates. 19This is the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

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Genesis 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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