God Promises Abram a Son, Many Descendants and Land

15:1-21

15 After those things, the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying,

“Do not be afraid, Abram!

I am a shield for you;

your reward will be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “My Lord Yahweh, what will you give to me, since I go childless, and the son of the inheritance of my house is the Damascan, Eliezer?” 3 Then Abram said, “Behold, you have not given a child to me, so that behold, a servant of my house is my heir!” 4 Then behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, “That man will not be your heir, but rather a son who comes from your bowels, he will be your heir.” 5 Then he brought him outside and said, “Please look at the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So will your offspring be.”

6 And he trusted in Yahweh, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 Then he said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Kasdim to give to you this land to possess it.” 8 Then he said, “My Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will possess it?” 9 Then he said to him, “Bring to me a three-year-old heifer and a three-year-old she-goat and a three-year-old ram and a turtledove and a young pigeon.” 10 So he brought all those to him. Then he cut them in two down the middle and laid the halves opposite to each other, but the birds he did not cut in two. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 Then it happened, the sun was setting and a deep sleep fell on Abram, and behold, terror and great darkness fell on him. 13 Then he said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be strangers in a land that does not belong to them, and they will serve them, and they will afflict them 400 years. 14 But also, the nation that they serve I will judge, and after that they will come out with great possessions. 15 And you, you will go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 Then in the fourth generation they will come back here, because the sin of the Amorites will not be complete until then.”

17 Then it happened, the sun went down and darkness came, and behold, there was a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On that day Yahweh cut a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River, 19 the land of the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites 20 and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”