Genesis 15

The Cutting of the Covenant

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shields and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”ts
2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord,t what will you give me sincet I continue to bet childless, and my heirts ist Eliezer of Damascus?”s

3 Abram added,t “Sincet you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!”t
4 But look,t the word of the Lord came to him: “This mant will not be your heir,t but insteadt a sont who comes from your own body will bet your heir.”t

5 The Lordt took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

6 Abram believedt the Lord, and the Lordt considered his response of faitht as proof of genuine loyalty.ts
7 The Lord saidt to him, “I am the Lords who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeanss to give you this land to possess.”

8 Butt Abramt said, “O sovereign Lord,t by whatt can I know that I am to possess it?”
9 The Lordt said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”10 So Abramt took all these for him and then cut them in twot and placed each half opposite the other,ts but he did not cut the birds in half.

11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep,t and great terror overwhelmed him.t13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certaint that your descendants will be strangerst in a foreign country.t They will be enslaved and oppressedt for four hundred years.14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve.t Afterward they will come out with many possessions.15 But as for you,t you will go to your ancestorss in peace and be buried at a good old age.t

16 In the fourth generations your descendantst will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.”ts
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torchs passed between the animal parts.t18 That day the Lord made a covenantt with Abram: “To your descendants I givets this land, from the river of Egypts to the great river, the Euphrates River –19 the landt of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”t

Genesis 16

The Birth of Ishmael

1 Now Sarai,t Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children,s but she had an Egyptian servantt named Hagar.s

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Sincet the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations withts my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.”t Abram did whatts Sarai told him.
3 So after Abram had livedt in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant,t to her husband to be his wife.s4 He had sexual relations witht Hagar, and she became pregnant.t Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.t

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me!t I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you,t but when she realizedt that she was pregnant, she despised me.t May the Lord judge between you and me!”ts

6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since yourt servant is under your authority,t do to her whatever you think best.”t Then Sarai treated Hagart harshly,t so she ran away from Sarai.t
7 The Lord's angelt found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur.t

8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away fromt my mistress, Sarai.”
9 Then the Lord's angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submitt to her authority.10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord's angel added,t “so that they will be too numerous to count.”t

11 Then the Lord's angel said to her,
“You are nowt pregnant
and are about to give birtht to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael,s
for the Lord has heard your painful groans.ts

12 He will be a wild donkeys of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone,t
and everyone will be hostile to him.t
He will live away fromt his brothers.”
13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,”t for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!”ts

14 That is why the well was calledt Beer Lahai Roi.s (It is locatedt between Kadesh and Bered.)
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael.ts

16 (Nowt Abram was 86 years oldt when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)t

Genesis 17

The Sign of the Covenant

1 When Abram was 99 years old,t the Lord appeared to him and said,t “I am the sovereign God.t Walkt before met and be blameless.t

2 Then I will confirm my covenantt between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.”t
3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground,t and God said to him,t4 “As for me,t thist is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations.5 No longer will your name bet Abram. Instead, your name will be Abrahams because I will make yout the father of a multitude of nations.6 I will make yout extremelyt fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.t7 I will confirmt my covenant as a perpetualt covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you.t

8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residingt – to you and your descendants after you as a permanentt possession. I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keept the covenantal requirementt I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep:t Every male among you must be circumcised.s11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a remindert of the covenant between me and you.12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days oldt must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants.13 They must indeed be circumcised,t whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenantt will be visible in your flesh as a permanentt reminder.

14 Any uncircumcised malet who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut offts from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.”t
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai;t Sarahs will be her name.

16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations.t Kings of countriest will come from her!”
17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laugheds as he said to himself,t “Cant a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old?t Can Sarahs bear a child at the age of ninety?”t

18 Abraham said to God, “O thatt Ishmael might live before you!”t
19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.t I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetualt covenant for his descendants after him.20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you.s I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants.t He will become the father of twelve princes;t I will make him into a great nation.21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”

22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.ts
23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money)t and circumcised themt on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.24 Now Abraham was 99 years oldt when he was circumcised;t25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years oldt when he was circumcised.26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day.

27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.