Study Desk

Now ^(C1)the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

And ^(C1)I will make you into a great nation, And ^(C2)I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall ^(C3)be a blessing;

And ^(C1)I will bless those who bless you, And the one who ^(F1)curses you I will ^(F2)curse. ^(C2)And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

So Abram went away as the LORD had spoken to him; and ^(C1)Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, and all their ^(C1)possessions which they had accumulated, and ^(C2)the ^(F1)people which they had acquired in Haran, and they ^(F2)set out for the land of Canaan; ^(C3)so they came to the land of Canaan.

Abram passed through the land as far as the site of ^(C1)Shechem, to the ^(F1)oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time.

And the LORD ^(C1)appeared to Abram and said, "^(C2)To your ^(F1)descendants I will give this land." So he built ^(C3)an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent with ^(C1)Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and ^(C2)called upon the name of the LORD.

Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward ^(C1)the ^(F1)Negev.

Now there was ^(C1)a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a time, because the famine was ^(C2)severe in the land.

It came about, when he ^(F1)was approaching Egypt, that he said to his wife Sarai, "See now, I know that you are a ^(F2)(C1)beautiful woman;

^(C1)and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.

"Please say that you are ^(C1)my sister so that it may go well for me because of you, and that ^(F1)(C2)I may live on account of you."

Now it came about, when Abram entered Egypt, that the Egyptians ^(F1)saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and ^(C1)the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

Therefore ^(C1)he treated Abram well for her sake; and ^(F1)(C2)he gave him sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

But the LORD ^(C1)struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "^(C1)What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for myself as a wife? Now then, ^(F1)here is your wife, take her and go!"

And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they ^(F1)escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

So Abram went up from Egypt to ^(C1)the ^(F1)Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

Now Abram was ^(C1)very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.

And he went ^(F1)on his journeys from the ^(F2)Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, ^(C1)between Bethel and Ai,

to the place of the ^(C1)altar which he had made there previously; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Now ^(C1)Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.

And ^(C1)the land could not ^(F1)support both of them ^(F2)while living together, ^(C2)for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.

^(C1)And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. Now ^(C2)the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.

^(C1)So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives!

"Is the entire land not before you? Please separate from me; if you choose the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left."

Lot raised his eyes and saw all the ^(F1)vicinity of the ^(C1)Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD ^(C2)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like ^(C3)the garden of the LORD, ^(C4)like the land of Egypt ^(F2)going toward ^(C5)Zoar.

So Lot chose for himself all the ^(F1)vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other.

Abram ^(F1)settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot ^(F1)settled in ^(C1)the cities of the ^(F2)vicinity of the Jordan, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.

Now ^(C1)the men of Sodom were ^(F1)exceedingly wicked ^(C2)sinners against the LORD.

The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "^(C1)Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, ^(C2)northward and southward, and eastward and westward;

^(C1)for all the land which you see ^(C2)I will give to you and to your ^(F1)descendants forever.

"I will make your ^(F1)descendants ^(C1)as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your ^(F1)descendants could also be counted.

"Arise, ^(C1)walk about in the land through its length and width; for ^(C2)I will give it to you."

Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived by the ^(F1)(C1)oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built ^(C2)an altar to the LORD.

After these things ^(C1)the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "^(C2)Do not fear, Abram, I am ^(C3)a shield to you; ^(F1)Your ^(C4)reward shall be very great."

But Abram said, "Lord ^(F1)GOD, what will You give me, since I ^(F2)am childless, and the ^(F3)heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Abram also said, "^(F1)Since You have given me no ^(F2)son, ^(F3)one who has been ^(C1)born in my house is my heir."

Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; ^(C1)but one who will come from your own ^(F1)body shall be your heir."

And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens and ^(C1)count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "^(C2)So shall your ^(F1)descendants be."

^(C1)Then he believed in the LORD; and He ^(F1)credited it to him as righteousness.

And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of ^(C1)Ur of the Chaldeans, to ^(C2)give you this land to ^(F1)possess it."

But he said, "Lord ^(F1)GOD, ^(C1)how may I know that I will ^(F2)possess it?"

So He said to him, "^(F1)Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

Then he ^(F1)brought all these to Him and ^(C1)cut them ^(F2)in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he ^(C2)did not cut the birds.

And birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

Now when the sun was going down, ^(C1)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, ^(F1)terror and great darkness fell upon him.

Then God said to Abram, "Know for certain that ^(C1)your ^(F1)descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, ^(F2)where ^(C2)they will be enslaved and oppressed for ^(C3)four hundred years.

"But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out ^(C1)with ^(F1)many possessions.

"As for you, ^(C1)you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.

"Then in ^(C1)the fourth generation they will return here, for ^(C2)the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete."

Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which ^(C1)passed between these pieces.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "^(C1)To your ^(F1)descendants I have given this land, From ^(C2)the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:

^(C1)the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite,

the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim,

the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite."

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, ^(C1)the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am ^(F1)God ^(C2)Almighty; Walk before Me, and be ^(F2)(C3)blameless.

-"I will ^(F1)make My ^(C1)covenant between Me and you, And I will ^(C2)multiply you exceedingly."

Abram ^(C1)fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a ^(C1)multitude of nations.

-"No longer shall you be named ^(F1)Abram, But ^(C1)your name shall be ^(F2)Abraham; For ^(C2)I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and ^(C1)kings will come from you.

"I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your ^(F1)descendants after you throughout their generations as an ^(C1)everlasting covenant, ^(C2)to be God to you and ^(C3)to your ^(F1)descendants after you.

"And ^(C1)I will give to you and to your ^(F1)descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and ^(C2)I will be their God."

God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, ^(C1)you shall keep My covenant, you and your ^(F1)descendants after you throughout their generations.

"^(C1)This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your ^(F1)descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

"And ^(C1)you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

"And every male among you who is ^(C1)eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, including a slave who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your ^(F1)descendants.

"A slave who is born in your house or ^(C1)who is bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised; so My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

"But as for an uncircumcised male, one who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be ^(C1)cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

Then God said to Abraham, "As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name ^(F1)Sarai, but ^(F2)Sarah shall be her name.

"I will bless her, and indeed I will give you ^(C1)a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; ^(C2)kings of peoples will ^(F1)come from her."

Then Abraham ^(C1)fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And ^(C2)will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?"

And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!"

But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will bear you ^(C1)a son, and you shall name him ^(F1)Isaac; and ^(C2)I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his ^(F2)descendants after him.

"As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and ^(C1)make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. ^(C2)He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a ^(C3)great nation.

"But I will establish My covenant with ^(C1)Isaac, whom ^(C2)Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."

When He finished talking with him, ^(C1)God went up from Abraham.

Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all the slaves who were ^(C1)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 on this very same day, ^(C2)as God had said to him.

Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when ^(C1)he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

And his son ^(C1)Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

On this very same day Abraham was circumcised, as well as his son Ishmael.

And all the men of his household, those who were ^(C1)born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Now it came about after these things, that ^(C1)God tested Abraham, and said to him, "^(C2)Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

Then He said, "Take now ^(C1)your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of ^(C2)Moriah, and offer him there as a ^(C3)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."

So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."

And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and ^(C1)laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the ^(C1)lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham said, "God will ^(F1)provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

Then they came to ^(C1)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built ^(C2)the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and ^(C3)laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to ^(F1)slaughter his son.

But ^(C1)the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

He said, "Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now ^(C1)I know that you ^(F1)fear God, since you have not withheld ^(C2)your son, your only son, from Me."

Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son.

And Abraham named that place ^(F1)The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "On the mountain of the LORD ^(C1)it will ^(F2)be provided."

Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven,

and said, "^(C1)By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,

indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly ^(C1)multiply your ^(F1)seed as the stars of the heavens and as ^(C2)the sand, which is on the seashore; and ^(C3)your ^(F1)seed shall possess the gate of ^(F2)their enemies.

"And ^(C1)in your ^(F1)seed all the nations of the earth shall ^(F2)be blessed, because you have ^(C2)obeyed My voice."

^(C1)So Abraham returned to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived in Beersheba.

Now it came about after these things, that Abraham was told, saying, "Behold, ^(C1)Milcah ^(F1)also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram),

Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel"—

and it was Bethuel who fathered ^(C1)Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

His concubine, whose name was Reumah, ^(F1)also gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.