Genesis 15

Abram Promised a Son

1 After 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."2 Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"3 And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir."4 Then 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."5 And 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."6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.7 And 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."8 He said, "O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?"9 So 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."10 Then 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.11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.13  God 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.14 But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.16 Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."

17 It 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.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 as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:19 the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite."

Genesis 16

Sarai and Hagar

1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.2 So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.3 After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.5 And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me."6 But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight." So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

7 Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.8 He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?" And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority."10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count."11 The angel of the LORD said to her further,
"Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name tIshmael,
Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.

12 "He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone's hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers."13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?"14 Therefore the well was called tBeer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Genesis 17

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
"I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.

2 "I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly."3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

5 "No longer shall your name be called tAbram,
But your name shall be tAbraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but tSarah shall be her name.16 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? "18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!"19 But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name tIsaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."22 When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.27 All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.