Genesis 12

God Chooses Abram

12The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country and your people. Leave your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.

²“I will make you into a great nation.

I will bless you.

I will make your name great.

You will be a blessing to others.

³I will bless those who bless you.

I will put a curse on anyone who calls down a curse on you.

All nations on earth

will be blessed because of you.”

⁴So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

⁵He took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. They took all of the things they had gotten in Haran. They also took the workers they had gotten there.

They set out for the land of Canaan. And they arrived there.

⁶Abram traveled through the land. He went as far as the large tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the people of Canaan were living in the land.

⁷The Lord appeared to Abram at Shechem. He said, “I will give this land to your children after you.” So Abram built an altar there to honor the Lord, who had appeared to him.

⁸From there, Abram went on toward the hills east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east.

Abram built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. ⁹Then Abram left and continued toward the Negev Desert.

Abram Goes to Egypt

¹⁰At that time there wasn’t enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while.

¹¹As he was about to enter Egypt, he spoke to his wife Sarai. He said, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹²The people of Egypt will see you. They will say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they will kill me. But they will let you live. ¹³Say you are my sister. Then I’ll be treated well because of you. My life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴Abram arrived in Egypt. The people of Egypt saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they bragged to Pharaoh about her. Sarai was taken into his palace.

¹⁶Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her. So Abram gained more sheep and cattle. He also got more male and female donkeys. And he gained more male and female servants and some camels.

¹⁷But the Lord sent terrible sicknesses on Pharaoh and everyone in his palace. He did it because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

¹⁸So Pharaoh sent for Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister’? That’s why I took her to be my wife. Now then, here’s your wife. Take her and go!”

²⁰Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men. They sent him on his way. He left with his wife and everything he had.