Genesis 12 NKJV
God Speaks to Abram
(1) 1 Now the LORD had said to Abram:
"Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father's house,
To a land that I will show you.
2I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And
Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5Then Abram took
Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they
had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed
to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
6Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth
tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
7Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will
give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared
to him.
8And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched 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. 9So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Abram in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell
there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11And it came to pass, when
he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed
I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12Therefore it will happen,
when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, "This is his wife'; and
they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13Please say you are my sister,
that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I[3] may live because of
you."
14So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that
she was very beautiful. 15The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended
her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house.
16He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of
Sarai, Abram's wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this
you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19Why did
you say, "She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore,
here is your wife; take her and go your way." 20So Pharaoh commanded his
men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
Back to top of page
2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD , the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.