12:1

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

12:2

I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

12:3

I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." ^F34

12:4

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

12:5

Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,

12:6

Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak ^F35 of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

12:7

Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring ^F36 I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

12:8

From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord.

12:9

And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

FOOTNOTES:
F34: Or [by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves]
F35: Or [terebinth]
F36: Heb [seed]

12:1

God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.

12:2

I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing.

12:3

I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."

12:4

So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

12:5

Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound.

12:6

Abram passed through the country as far as Shechem and the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites occupied the land.

12:7

God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.

12:8

He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God.

12:9

Abram kept moving, steadily making his way south, to the Negev.