God’s Covenant with Abram

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram ain a vision, saying, b“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your cshield, 1your exceedingly dgreat reward.”

2 eBut Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, fseeing I 2go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed gone 3born in my house is my heir!”

4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who hwill come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and icount the jstars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, k“So shall your ldescendants be.”

6 And he mbelieved in the Lord, and He naccounted it to him for righteousness.

7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who obrought you out of pUr of the Chaldeans, qto give you this land to inherit it.”

8 And he said, “Lord God, rhow shall I know that I will inherit it?”

9 So He said to 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.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and scut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut tthe birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 Now when the sun was going down, ua deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly vthat your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and wthey will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve xI will judge; afterward ythey shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, zyou shall 4go ato your fathers in peace; byou shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But cin the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity dof the Amorites eis not yet complete.”

17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that fpassed between those pieces.