16 January - Genesis 12-15

Jude Sat Aug 18, 2018 4:25 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

GENESIS 12

1And יהוה said to Aḇram, “Go yourself out of your land, from your relatives and from your father’s house, to a land which I show you.

2“And I shall make you a great nation, and bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing!

3“And I shall bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you. And in you all the clans of the earth shall be blessed.”

4So Aḇram left, as יהוה had commanded him, and Lot went with him. And Aḇram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Ḥaran.

5And Aḇram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the beings whom they had acquired in Ḥaran, and they set out for the land of Kena‛an. And they came to the land of Kena‛an.

6And Aḇram passed through the land to the place of Sheḵem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. At that time the Kena‛anites were in the land.

7And יהוה appeared to Aḇram and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And he built there an altar to יהוה, who had appeared to him.

8And from there he moved to the mountain east of Bĕyth Ěl, and he pitched his tent, with Bĕyth Ěl on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there an altar to יהוה, and called on the Name of יהוה.

9And Aḇram set out, continuing toward the South.

10And a scarcity of food came to be in the land, and Aḇram went down to Mitsrayim to dwell there, for the scarcity of food was severe in the land.

11And it came to be, when he was close to entering Mitsrayim, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See, I know that you are a fair woman to look at.

12“And it shall be, when the Mitsrites see you, that they shall say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they shall kill me, but let you live.

13“Please say you are my sister, so that it shall be well with me for your sake, and my life be spared because of you.”

14And it came to be, when Aḇram came into Mitsrayim, that the Mitsrites saw the woman, that she was very fair.

15And Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her before Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.

16And he treated Aḇram well for her sake, and he had sheep, and cattle, and male donkeys, and male and female servants, and female donkeys, and camels.

17But יהוה plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Aḇram’s wife.

18And Pharaoh called Aḇram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not inform me that she was your wife?

19“Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? And so I was going to take her for my wife. Look, here is your wife, take her and go.”

20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.

GENESIS 13

1And Aḇram went up from Mitsrayim into the South, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him.

2And Aḇram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bĕyth Ěl, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bĕyth Ěl and Ai,

4to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Aḇram called on the Name of יהוה.

5Now Lot, who went with Aḇram, also had flocks and herds and tents.

6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were great, so that they could not dwell together.

7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Aḇram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. And at that time the Kena‛anites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land.

8Then Aḇram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.

9“Is not all the land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I go to the left.”

10And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of the Yardĕn, that it was well watered everywhere – before יהוה destroyed Seḏom and Amorah – like the garden of יהוה, like the land of Mitsrayim as you go toward Tso‛ar.

11So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Yardĕn, and Lot moved east. Thus they separated from each other,

12Aḇram dwelling in the land of Kena‛an, and Lot dwelling in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent as far as Seḏom.

13But the men of Seḏom were evil and sinned before יהוה, exceedingly so.

14And after Lot had separated from him, יהוה said to Aḇram, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,

15for all the land which you see I shall give to you and your seed forever.

16“And I shall make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that, if a man could count the dust of the earth, then your seed also could be counted.

17“Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

18So Aḇram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, which are in Ḥeḇron, and built an altar there to יהוה.

GENESIS 14

1And it came to be in the days of Amraphel sovereign of Shin‛ar, Aryoḵ sovereign of Ellasar, Keḏorla‛omer sovereign of Ěylam, and Tiḏ‛al sovereign of Goyim,

2that they fought against Bera sovereign of Seḏom, Birsha sovereign of Amorah, Shinaḇ sovereign of Aḏmah, Shem’ĕḇer sovereign of Tseḇoyim, and the sovereign of Bela, that is Tso‛ar.

3All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim, that is the Salt Sea.

4Twelve years they served Keḏorla‛omer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5And in the fourteenth year Keḏorla‛omer and the sovereigns that were with him came and smote the Repha’im in Ashteroth Qarnayim, and the Zuzim in Ḥam, and the Ěmites in Shawĕh Qiryathayim,

6and the Ḥorites in their mountain of Sĕ‛ir, as far as Ěl Paran, which is by the wilderness.

7And they turned back and came to Ěn Mishpat, that is Qaḏĕsh, and smote all the country of the Amalĕqites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Ḥatsetson Tamar.

8And the sovereign of Seḏom, and the sovereign of Amorah, and the sovereign of Aḏmah, and the sovereign of Tseḇoyim, and the sovereign of Bela, that is Tso‛ar, went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim,

9against Keḏorla‛omer sovereign of Ěylam, and Tiḏ‛al sovereign of Goyim, and Amraphel sovereign of Shin‛ar, and Aryoḵ sovereign of Ellasar – four sovereigns against five.

10And the Valley of Siddim had many tar pits. And the sovereigns of Seḏom and Amorah fled and fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.

11And they took all the goods of Seḏom and Amorah, and all their food, and went away.

12And they took Lot, Aḇram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Seḏom, and his goods, and left.

13And one who had escaped came and informed Aḇram the Heḇrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Anĕr, and they had a covenant with Aḇram.

14And when Aḇram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

15And he and his servants divided against them by night, and smote them and pursued them as far as Ḥoḇah, which is on the left of Damascus.

16So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

17And after his return from the defeat of Keḏorla‛omer and the sovereigns who were with him, the sovereign of Seḏom came out to meet him at the Valley of Shawĕh, that is, the Sovereign’s Valley.

18And Malkitseḏeq sovereign of Shalĕm brought out bread and wine. Now he was the priest of the Most High Ěl.

19And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Aḇram of the Most High Ěl, Possessor of the heavens and earth.

20“And blessed be the Most High Ěl who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of all.

21And the sovereign of Seḏom said to Aḇram, “Give me the people, and take the goods for yourself.”

22But Aḇram said to the sovereign of Seḏom, “I have lifted my hand to יהוה, the Most High Ěl, the Possessor of the heavens and earth,

23not to take a thread or a sandal strap or whatever is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Aḇram rich,’

24except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Anĕr, Eshkol, and Mamrĕ. Let them take their portion.”

GENESIS 15

1After these events the word of יהוה came to Aḇram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Aḇram. I am your shield, your reward is exceedingly great.”

2And Aḇram said, “Master יהוה, what would You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eli‛ezer of Damascus?”

3And Aḇram said, “See, You have given me no seed, and see, one born in my house is my heir!”

4And see, the word of יהוה came to him, saying, “This one is not your heir, but he who comes from your own body is your heir.”

5And He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward the heavens, and count the stars if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So are your seed.”

6And he believed in יהוה, and He reckoned it to him for righteousness.

7And He said to him, “I am יהוה, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”

8And he said, “Master יהוה, whereby do I know that I possess it?”

9And He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old female goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10And he took all these to Him and cut them in the middle, and placed each half opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds.

11And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Aḇram drove them away.

12And it came to be, when the sun was going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Aḇram, that see, a frightening great darkness fell upon him.

13And He said to Aḇram, “Know for certain that your seed are to be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

14“But the nation whom they serve I am going to judge, and afterward let them come out with great possessions.

15“Now as for you, you are to go to your fathers in peace, you are to be buried at a good old age.

16“Then, in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the crookedness of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

17And it came to be, when the sun went down and it was dark, that see, a smoking oven and a burning torch passing between those pieces.

18On the same day יהוה made a covenant with Aḇram, saying, “I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Mitsrayim to the great river, the River Euphrates,

19with the Qĕynite, and the Qenizzite, and the Qaḏmonite,

20and the Ḥittite, and the Perizzite, and the Repha’im,

21and the Amorite, and the Kena‛anite, and the Girgashite, and the Yeḇusite.”