Month: May 2025

After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. So 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-the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadominites, Hittites, Perizzeites, Rephaitses Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” (vv. 17-20, NLT)

Then the Lord told him, “I am the Lord who brought you our of Ur to he Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”

The 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.” So Abram presented all these t 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. Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.

As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him. Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that our descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripey old age.) After four generations, you descendants will return here to this land, for the sins fo the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.” (vv. 9-16, NLT)

Some 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.”

But 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 my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

Then the lord said to him, “No, your servant will. not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. Tha’s how many descendants you will have!”

And Abram believed in the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. (vv. 1-6, NLT)

After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

And Melchizedek, the King of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High,
who has defeated your enemies for you. “

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.”

Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the Lord God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal throng from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’ I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten, and I request that you give a fare share of the goods to my allies, -Aner, Eschol, and Mamre.” (vv. 17-24, NLT

As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. As the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and head for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. They also captured Lot-Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom-and carried off everything he owned.

But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.

When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he. mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as fas a Hobah, north of Damascus. Abram recovered all the goods that had ben taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his processions and all the women and other captives. (vv. 10-16, NLT)

Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord ore the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.

After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction-north, south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he build another altar to the Lord. (vv. 10-18, NLT)

So Abram left Egypt and traveled north to the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.) From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. This this was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and here worshiped the Lord again.

Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep, goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)

Finally, Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”(vv. 1-9, NLT)

At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram and Sarai to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai,”Look, you are are very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; the we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister Then they will spare my live and tread me wall because of their interest in you.”

And sure enough, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty. When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her-sheep, goats, cattle, male and female servants, and camels.

But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply, “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’, and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!” Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, alone with his wife and all his possessions. (vv. 10-20, NLT)

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed by you.

So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth-his livestock, and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran-and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived at Canaan, Abram traveled through as far as the land of Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an alter there and dedicated it to the Lord, wo had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he build another altar and dedicated it to the Lord., and worshiped the Lord. Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward Negev. (vv. 1-9, NLT)

This is an account of Shem’s family. [Noah’s son. Eight generations later, Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran] (see vv. 10-26, NLT)

This is an account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living. Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother, Haran.) But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.

One day, Terah took his son, Abram, his daughter-in-law, Sarai (his son Abram’s wife) and his grandson Lot (his so Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and he died while still in Haran. (vv 27-32, NLT)