Genesis 15

After 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.

After all that had happened, Abram received a comforting vision from God. "Don't be afraid, Abram," God reassured him. "I am your protector and your ultimate blessing."

And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Abram pleaded, "Lord God, what can you offer me when I have no child and my only heir is my servant, Eliezer from Damascus?"

And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Abram expressed, "You've given me no child of my own. So, the one born in my household will inherit everything I have."

And, 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.

Suddenly, God's message came to him, saying, "Your heir won't be this one; instead, your own flesh and blood will be your true successor."

And 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.

He gently led him outside, pointing to the night sky, "See the countless stars? Can you count them?" He asked. "Just like them, so will your descendants be - infinite and uncountable."

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

He placed his faith in the LORD, and this act of trust was seen as his righteousness.

And 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.

He spoke to him, saying, "It's me, the LORD, who led you away from Ur of the Chaldees. I did this to gift you this land as your inheritance."

And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

He asked, "God, how can I be sure that this inheritance will be mine?"

And 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.

He gently instructed him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a similar-aged she-goat, and a ram. Also, fetch a turtledove and a young pigeon."

And 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.

He gathered everything, split them in half, and placed each half opposite the other. However, he didn't split the birds.

And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

As the birds swooped down on the lifeless bodies, Abram, filled with determination, chased them away.

And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

As the sun began to set, Abram was overcome with a profound sleep. Suddenly, a terrifying, intense darkness enveloped him.

And 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;

He assured Abram, "Your descendants will be foreigners in a strange land, serving its people. They will face hardship for four centuries."

And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

I will pass judgment on the nation they serve, and later, they will emerge with abundant blessings.

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

You will join your ancestors in tranquility; your life will be long and fulfilled before you rest in peace.

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

In four generations, they will return here, for the Amorites' wrongdoings have not yet reached their peak.

And 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.

As the sun set and darkness fell, a smoky furnace appeared, with a fiery lamp moving amidst the fragments, creating an aura of mystery and awe.

In 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:

On that very day, the LORD made a heartfelt promise to Abram. He said, "I have gifted this land to your descendants, stretching from the Egyptian river all the way to the mighty Euphrates."

The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

It is the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

of the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

and of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.