Genesis 12

1For the Lord had said vnto Abram, Get thee out of thy countrey, and from thy kindred, and from thy fathers house vnto the land that I will shewe thee. 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and will blesse thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. 3I will also blesse them that blesse thee, and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4So Abram departed, euen as ye Lord spake vnto him, and Lot went with him. (And Abram was seuentie and fiue yeere olde, when he departed out of Haran) 5Then Abram tooke Sarai his wife, and Lot his brothers sonne, and all their substance that they possessed, and the soules that they had gotten in Haran, and they departed, to goe to the land of Canaan: and to the land of Canaan they came. 6So Abram passed through the land vnto the place of Shechem, and vnto the plaine of Moreh (and the Canaanite was then in ye land) 7And the Lord appeared vnto Abram, and said, Vnto thy seede will I giue this land. And there builded he an altar vnto the Lord, which appeared vnto him. 8Afterward remouing thence vnto a moutaine Eastward from Beth-el, he pitched his tent hauing Beth-el on the Westside, and Haai on the East: and there he built an altar vnto the Lord, and called on the Name of the Lord. 9Againe Abram went forth going and iourneying toward the South. 10Then there came a famine in the land: therefore Abram went downe into Egypt to soiourne there: for there was a great famine in the lande. 11And when he drewe neere to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, Beholde nowe, I know that thou art a faire woman to looke vpon: 12Therefore it will come to passe, that when the Egyptians see thee, they will say, She is his wife: so will they kill me, but they will keepe thee aliue. 13Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that I may fare well for thy sake, and that my life may be preserued by thee. 14Nowe when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians behelde the woman: for she was very faire. 15And the Princes of Pharaoh sawe her, and commended her vnto Pharaoh: so the woman was taken into Pharaohs house: 16Who intreated Abram well for her sake, and he had sheepe, and beeues, and hee asses, and men seruants and maide seruants, and shee asses, and camelles. 17But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues, because of Sarai Abrams wife. 18Then Pharaoh called Abram, and saide, Why hast thou done this vnto me? Wherefore diddest thou not tell me, that she was thy wife? 19Why saidest thou, She is my sister, that I should take her to be my wife? Nowe therefore beholde thy wife, take her and goe thy way. 20And Pharaoh gaue men commandement concerning him: and they conueyed him forth, and his wife, and all that he had.

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Genesis 12

The call of Abram

1The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2‘I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.#12:2 Or be seen as blessed

3I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.’#12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)

4So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring#12:7 Or seed I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8From there he went on towards the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

9Then Abram set out and continued towards the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

10Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, “This is his wife.” Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.’

14When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

17But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh summoned Abram. ‘What have you done to me?’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19Why did you say, “She is my sister,” so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!’ 20Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

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