Genesis 15

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

1After these things, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision. A vision is like a picture God shows someone. God said, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield. I will keep you safe. I am your very great reward."

2And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

2Abram said, "Lord God, what good is anything you give me? I have no children. My servant Eliezer, from the city of Damascus, runs my house. He will get everything I own."

3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

3Abram said again, "You have not given me any children. So a servant born in my house will get all I have."

4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

4Then the LORD said to him, "That servant will not get your things. You will have a son of your very own. He will get everything."

5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

5God brought Abram outside and said, "Look up at the sky. Count the stars, if you can count them." Then God said, "That is how many people will come from you."

6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

6Abram believed the LORD. And God said that Abram was right with him because he believed.

NoteThe old words say God "counted it to him for righteousness." That means God said Abram was right with him, because Abram trusted God.

7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

7God said to him, "I am the LORD. I brought you out of the city of Ur, in the land of the Chaldeans. I did that to give you this land to keep."

8And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

8Abram said, "Lord God, how can I know this land will really be mine?"

9And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

9God said to him, "Bring me a young cow, a goat, and a ram. A ram is a boy sheep. Each one must be three years old. Bring a dove and a young pigeon too."

10And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

10Abram brought all of them to God. He cut each animal in half. He laid the halves down facing each other. He did not cut the two birds.

NoteLong ago, when two people made a very serious promise, they cut animals in half and walked between the pieces. That is why God tells Abram to do this here.

11And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

11Big hungry birds came down to eat the dead animals. Abram chased them away.

12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

12As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. A thick darkness came over him, and he was very afraid.

13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

13God said to Abram, "Know this for sure. Your family will live in a land that is not their own. They will be made slaves there. People will treat them badly for four hundred years."

14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

14"But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. After that, your family will leave with many good things."

15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

15"But you yourself will die in peace. You will live to be very old, and you will be buried."

16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

16"Your family will come back here after four family lives have passed. The people called Amorites live here now. They are not yet done doing wrong."

NoteThe old words say "in the fourth generation." A generation is one step from parents to their children. Four generations is about the time from Abram to his great-great-grandchildren.

17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

17When the sun was down and it was dark, something appeared. It was a smoking pot of fire and a burning torch. They moved between the pieces of the animals.

18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

18That day the LORD made a covenant with Abram. A covenant is a strong promise that will not be broken. God said, "I give this land to your family. It reaches from the river of Egypt to the big river called the Euphrates."

19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

19"That land is where the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites live."

20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

20"The Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaites live there too."

21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

21"So do the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."