Genesis, 15

¹ After this the word of Jehovah came to Aʹbram in a vision, saying: “Do not fear, Aʹbram. I am a shield for you. Your reward will be very great.”

² Aʹbram replied: “Sovereign Lord Jehovah, what will you give me, seeing that I continue childless and the one who will inherit my house is a man of Damascus, E·li·eʹzer?”

³ Aʹbram added: “You have given me no offspring,^*1 and a member^*2 of my household is succeeding me as heir.”

⁴ But look! Jehovah’s word in reply to him was, “This man will not succeed you as heir, but your own son^*1 will succeed you as heir.”

⁵ He now brought him outside and said: “Look up, please, to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to do so.” Then he said to him: “So your offspring^*1 will become.”

⁶ And he put faith in Jehovah, and He counted^*1 it to him as righteousness.

⁷ Then he added: “I am Jehovah, who brought you out of Ur of the Chal·deʹans to give you this land as your possession.”

⁸ To this he said: “Sovereign Lord Jehovah, how will I know that I will take possession of it?”

⁹ He replied to him: “Take for me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰ So he took all of these and cut them in two and put each part opposite the other,^*1 but he did not cut up the birds.

¹¹ Then the birds of prey began to descend on the carcasses, but Aʹbram kept driving them away.

¹² When the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Aʹbram and a great and frightening darkness descended on him.

¹³ Then He said to Aʹbram: “Know for certain that your offspring^*1 will be foreigners in a land not theirs and that the people there will enslave them and afflict them for 400 years.

¹⁴ But I will judge the nation they will serve, and after that they will go out with many goods.

¹⁵ As for you, you will go to your forefathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.

¹⁶ But they will return here in the fourth generation, because the error of the Amʹor·ites has not yet reached its full measure.”

¹⁷ When the sun had set and it had become very dark, a smoking furnace appeared, and a fiery torch passed between the pieces.

¹⁸ On that day Jehovah made with Aʹbram a covenant, saying: “To your offspring^*1 I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Eu·phraʹtes:

¹⁹ the land of the Kenʹites, the Kenʹiz·zites, the Kadʹmon·ites,

²⁰ the Hitʹtites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Rephʹa·im,

²¹ the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Girʹga·shites, and the Jebʹu·sites.”