God Calls Abram

1The LORD told Abram, “You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house and go to the land that I’m going to show you. 2I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I’ll bless those who bless you, but I’ll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the peoplea of the earth will be blessed.”

4So Abram left there, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the servantsb he had acquired while livingc in Haran. Then they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan, 6Abram traveled through the land to the place called Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

7Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I’ll give this land to your descendants.”d So Abrame built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8From there Abramf traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel and set up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9Then Abram traveled on, continuing into the Negev.g

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

10There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live because the famine was so severe. 11When he was about to enter Egypt, he told his wife Sarai, “Look, I’m aware that you’re a beautiful woman. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ Then they’ll kill me, but allow you to live. 13Please say that you are my sister, so things will go well for me for your sake. That way, you’ll be saving my life.”

14As Abram was entering Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful Saraih was. 15When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they brought her to the attention of Pharaoh and took the woman to Pharaoh’s palace. 16He treated Abram well because of her, so Abram acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me! Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as a wife for myself? Now, here is your wife! Take her and get out!”

20So Pharaoh assigned men to Abram,i and they escorted him, his wife, and all that he had out of the country.j