The Lord’s covenant with Abram
1After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
‘Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,15:1 Or sovereign
your very great reward.15:1 Or shield; / your reward will be very great’
2But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit15:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?’ 3And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.’
4Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ 5He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring15:5 Or seed be.’
6Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7He also said to him, ‘I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’
8But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I shall gain possession of it?’
9So the Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’
10Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13Then the Lord said to him, ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and ill-treated there. 14But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterwards they will come out with great possessions. 15You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.’
17When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking brazier with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi15:18 Or river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.’
Kĩrĩkanĩro kĩa Ngai na Aburamu
115:1 Kĩam 21:17; Kĩam 26:24; Gũcook 33:29; Isa 41:10, 13-14Thuutha wa maũndũ macio, ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova ĩgĩkinyĩra Aburamu na kĩoneki, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ:
“Aburamu, ndũgetigĩre.
Niĩ nĩ niĩ ngo yaku,
na nĩ niĩ kĩheo gĩaku kĩnene.”
215:2 Atũm 7:5No Aburamu akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Mwathani Jehova, hihi nĩ kĩĩ ũkũũhe, kuona atĩ ndirĩ mwana, na ũrĩa ũkaagaya mũciĩ ũyũ wakwa nĩ Eliezeri wa Dameski?” 3Ningĩ Aburamu akiuga atĩrĩ, “Nĩwagĩte kũũhe ciana; nĩ ũndũ ũcio ndungata ya mũciĩ wakwa nĩyo ĩkaangaya.”
415:4 Agal 4:28Hĩndĩ ĩyo ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova ĩgĩkinyĩra Aburamu, akĩĩrwo atĩrĩ, “Aca, Eliezeri tiwe ũgaakũgaya, no mũrũguo ũrĩa ũkoima mũthiimo waku nĩwe ũgaakũgaya.” 515:5 Arom 4:18; Ahib 11:12Akiumia Aburamu nja, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ta tiira maitho ũrore igũrũ na ũtare njata, angĩkorwo ti-itherũ no ũcitare.” Ningĩ akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ũguo nĩguo rũciaro rwaku rũkaigana.”
615:6 Arom 4:3, 20-24; Agal 3:6; Jak 2:23Aburamu agĩĩtĩkia Jehova. Nake Jehova agĩkenio nĩ wĩtĩkio ũcio, akĩmũtua mũthingu.
715:7 Thaam 6:8Ningĩ akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩ niĩ Jehova ũrĩa wakũrutire bũrũri wa Uri-kwa-Akalidei, nĩgeetha ngũhe bũrũri ũyũ ũtuĩke igai rĩaku.”
8No Aburamu akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Mwathani Jehova, ũngĩĩmenyithia nakĩ atĩ nĩũgatuĩka igai rĩakwa?”
915:9 Amos 4:1Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Jehova akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ta ndeehera moori, na mbũri, na ndũrũme, na o ĩmwe yacio ĩkorwo ĩrĩ na mĩaka ĩtatũ, o hamwe na ndutura, na gĩcui kĩa ndirahũgĩ.”
10Aburamu akĩrehera Jehova indo icio ciothe, agĩciatũrania njatũ igĩrĩ, na agĩciara mũhari, o rwatũ rũkaringana na rwatũ rũrĩa rũngĩ; no nyoni-rĩ, aaciũraga ndaaciatũranirie.15:10 Kĩrĩkanĩro o gĩothe kĩarĩkia kũiguithanĩrio nĩ kwarutagwo igongona rĩa nyamũ ĩrĩa yatinanagio maita meerĩ, nao arĩa maathondekaga kĩrĩkanĩro kĩu makagera gatagatĩ ga icunjĩ icio cierĩ. 11Nacio nderi ikĩharũrũkĩra nyama icio, no Aburamu agĩcingata, agĩciũmbũra.
1215:12 Kĩam 2:21Riũa rĩgĩthũa-rĩ, Aburamu agĩkoma toro mũnene, nayo nduma nene na ya kũmakania ĩkĩmũnyiita. 1315:13 Thaam 12:40; Atũm 7:6, 17Ningĩ Jehova akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Menya na ma atĩ njiaro ciaku nĩigatũũra irĩ ageni bũrũri ũtarĩ wacio, na nĩigatuuo ngombo na inyariirwo mĩaka magana mana. 14No nĩngaherithia rũrĩrĩ rũu igatungata irĩ ngombo, na thuutha ũcio nĩikoima kuo irĩ na ũtonga mũingĩ. 1515:15 Kĩam 25:8; Thim 3:16No wee-rĩ, ũgaakua na thayũ, na ũgaathikwo ũrĩ na ũkũrũ mwega. 1615:16 Thaam 12:40Rũciaro-inĩ rwa kana-rĩ, njiaro ciaku nĩigacooka gũkũ, nĩgũkorwo mehia ma Aamori matikinyĩte harĩa ho.”
17Na rĩrĩ, riũa rĩathũa na kwagĩa nduma-rĩ, hakĩoneka nyũngũ ya mwaki yatoogaga ĩrĩ na kĩmũrĩ gĩkĩrĩrĩmbũka gĩgĩtuĩkanĩria gatagatĩ ka njatũ icio. 1815:18 Josh 15:4, 47Mũthenya ũcio, Jehova akĩrĩĩkanĩra na Aburamu kĩrĩkanĩro, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩndahe njiaro ciaku bũrũri ũyũ, kuuma rũũĩ rwa Misiri nginya rũũĩ rũrĩa rũnene rwa Farati: 19bũrũri wa Akeni, na wa Akenizi, na wa Akadimoni, 20na wa Ahiti, na wa Aperizi, na wa Arefai, 21na wa Aamori, na wa Akaanani, na wa Agirigashi, na wa Ajebusi.”
