| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” | 1Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” |
| 2But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” | 2But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. |
| 3Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.” | 3You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” |
| 4Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” | 4Then the LORD said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” |
| 5And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.” | 5Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” |
| 6Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness. | 6And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. |
| 7The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” | 7Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” |
| 8But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?” | 8But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” |
| 9And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.” | 9The LORD told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” |
| 10So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. | 10So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half. |
| 11And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. | 11Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away. |
| 12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. | 12As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him. |
| 13Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. | 13Then the LORD said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. |
| 14But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. | 14But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. |
| 15You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. | 15(As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) |
| 16In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” | 16After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.” |
| 17When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. | 17After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. |
| 18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates— | 18So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River— |
| 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, | 19the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, |
| 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, | 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, |
| 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” | 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” |
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