1After 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.
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? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 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. 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. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
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. 8And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 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. 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. 11And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove 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. 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; 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
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.15.17 a burning…: Heb. a lamp of fire 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: 19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
上帝與亞伯蘭立約
1這些事以後，耶和華在異象中對亞伯蘭說：「亞伯蘭，你不用害怕，我是你的盾牌，我要大大賞賜你。」 2亞伯蘭說：「主耶和華啊，你要賜我什麼呢？我沒有兒子，繼承我家業的人是大馬士革人以利以謝。」 3亞伯蘭又說：「你沒有賜我兒子，我家中的僕人將繼承我的產業。」 4耶和華又對他說：「這人不會成為你的繼承人，你親生的兒子才是你的繼承人。」 5耶和華把亞伯蘭帶到外面，對他說：「你抬頭看看天空，數數繁星，你能數得盡嗎？你的後裔必這麼多。」 6亞伯蘭信耶和華，耶和華便算他為義人。
7耶和華又對他說：「我是耶和華，我帶你離開了迦勒底的吾珥，為要把這片土地賜給你。」 8亞伯蘭說：「主耶和華啊，我怎麼知道我會得到這片土地呢？」 9耶和華說：「你要給我預備三歲的母牛、母山羊和公綿羊各一頭，斑鳩和雛鴿各一隻。」 10亞伯蘭一一照辦，把牲畜都劈成兩半，一半對著一半地擺列，但沒有劈開雀鳥。 11有鷙鳥飛到那些屍體上，亞伯蘭趕走了牠們。
12太陽下山的時候，亞伯蘭睡得很沉，忽然有可怕的黑暗籠罩著他。 13耶和華對他說：「你要清楚知道，你的後裔必流落異鄉，被奴役、虐待四百年。 14但我必懲罰奴役他們的國家，之後他們必帶著大量的財物離開那裡。 15而你必享長壽，安然離世。 16到了第四代15·16 「代」希伯來文可能指人一生的年日。，你的子孫必重回此地，因為亞摩利人現在還沒有惡貫滿盈。」
17太陽下山後，大地黑暗，突然有冒煙的火爐和點著的火炬在肉塊中經過。 18就在那天，耶和華跟亞伯蘭立約，說：「我必將這片土地賜給你的後代，使他們得到從埃及河到幼發拉底河一帶的土地， 19就是基尼人、基尼洗人、甲摩尼人、 20赫人、比利洗人、利乏音人、 21亞摩利人、迦南人、革迦撒人和耶布斯人的土地。」
