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Abram Journeys to Egypt

¹ Now in Haran ^(C1)the LORD had said to Abram,

"Go away from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you; ^(VR1)

² And ^(F1)(C1)I will make you a great nation,
And ^(C2)I will bless you abundantly,
And make your name great (exalted, distinguished);
And ^(C3)you shall be a blessing a source of great good to others;

³ And ^(C1)I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you,
And I will curse that is, subject to My wrath and judgment the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you.
^(C2)And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed." ^(VR1)

⁴ So Abram departed in faithful obedience as the LORD had directed him; and ^(C1)Lot his nephew left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.⁵ Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their ^(C1)possessions which they had acquired, and the ^(C2)people (servants) which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. ^(C3)When they came to the land of Canaan,⁶ Abram passed through the land as far as the site of ^(C1)Shechem, to the great terebinth (oak) tree of Moreh. Now the ^(F1)Canaanites were in the land at that time.⁷ Then the LORD ^(C1)appeared to Abram and said, "^(C2)I will give this land to your descendants." So Abram built ^(C3)an altar there to honor the LORD who had appeared to him.⁸ Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of ^(C1)Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and ^(C2)called on the name of the LORD in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.⁹ Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward ^(C1)the Negev (the South country of Judah).

¹⁰ Now there was ^(C1)a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was ^(C2)oppressive and severe.¹¹ And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "Listen: I know that you are ^(F1)(C1)a beautiful woman;^12 (C1)so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me to acquire you, but they will let you live.¹³ "Please tell them that you are ^(F1)(C1)my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and ^(C2)my life will be spared because of you."¹⁴ And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.¹⁵ Pharaoh's princes (officials) also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and ^(C1)the woman was taken for the purpose of marriage into Pharaoh's house (harem).¹⁶ Therefore ^(C1)Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake; ^(C2)he acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

¹⁷ But the LORD ^(C1)punished Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.¹⁸ 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?¹⁹ "Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and go!"²⁰ So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him on his way, with his wife and all that he had.