1 Pēc šiem notikumiem Tas Kungs runāja uz Ābrāmu, viņam parādīdamies un sacīdams: "Nebīsties, Ābrām, Es esmu tavs vairogs, un tava alga ir ļoti liela." 2 Un Ābrāms atbildēja: "Dievs mans Kungs, ko Tu man gribi dot? Redzi, es palieku bez bērniem, un mana nama mantinieks būs šis damaskietis Ēliēzers." 3 Un Ābrāms teica: "Redzi, Tu man neesi devis pēcnācējus. Viens no mana nama ļaudīm būs mans mantinieks." 4 Un tad Tā Kunga vārds nāca pār viņu: "Šis gan nebūs tavs mantinieks, bet gan tas, kas no tavām miesām nāks, būs tavs mantinieks." 5 Un Viņš tam lika iziet ārā un sacīja: "Skaties uz debesīm un skaiti zvaigznes; vai tu spēj tās izskaitīt? Tikpat daudz būs tev pēcnācēju," Viņš tam sacīja. 6 Un Ābrāms uzticējās Tam Kungam, un Dievs to viņam pieskaitīja par taisnību. 7 Un Viņš sacīja uz to: "Es esmu Tas Kungs, kas tev lika iziet no kaldeju Ūras, lai tev dotu šo zemi iemantot." 8 Bet tas sacīja: "Kungs, mans Dievs, no kā lai es noprotu, ka es to iemantošu?" 9 Un Viņš sacīja uz to: "Atnes Man triju gadu jaunlopu, triju gadu kazu un triju gadu aunu, balodi un ūbeli." 10 Un tas Viņam atnesa visus tos un dalīja tos uz pusēm, un lika vienu gabalu pret otru, bet putnus tas nedalīja. 11 Un vanagi krita uz kustoņiem, bet Ābrāms tos aizdzina. 12 Un, kad saule bija tuvu rietam, tad Ābrāmam uznāca miegs, un redzi, izbailes un liela tumsa nolaidās pār viņu. 13 Un Viņš sacīja uz Ābrāmu: "Piemini, zināt zini, ka tavi pēcnācēji būs svešinieki zemē, kas tiem nepieder, un viņi tiem vergos, un viņus pazemos četri simti gadu. 14 Bet arī to tautu, kas tos verdzinās, Es tiesāšu; pēc tam tie izies ar lielu mantību. 15 Bet tu noiesi mierā pie saviem tēviem; un tu tiksi apglabāts sirmā vecumā. 16 Un ceturtā paaudze atgriezīsies šeit, jo amoriešu grēku mērs vēl nav pilns." 17 Un notika, kad saule bija nogājusi un bija iestājusies pilnīga tumsa, tad it kā dūmains ceplis un degoša lāpa parādījās starp tiem gabaliem. 18 Tanī dienā Tas Kungs noslēdza ar Ābrāmu derību, sacīdams: "Taviem pēcnācējiem Es došu šo zemi, no Ēģiptes upes līdz lielajai upei - Eifratas upei, 19 arī keniešus, kadmoniešus, hetiešus, serifiešus, refajiešus, amoriešus, kānaāniešus, girgaziešus un jebusiešus."
God's Covenant with Abram
1 After this, Abram had a vision and heard the Lord say to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward.”
2 But Abram answered, “Sovereign Lord, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children? My only heir is Eliezer of Damascus. 3 You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property.”
4 Then he heard the Lord speaking to him again: “This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir.” 5 The Lord took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that.”
6 Abram put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him.
7 Then the Lord said to him, “I am the Lord, who led you out of Ur in Babylonia, to give you this land as your own.”
8 But Abram asked, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that it will be mine?”
9 He answered, “Bring me a cow, a goat, and a ram, each of them three years old, and a dove and a pigeon.” 10 Abram brought the animals to God, cut them in half, and placed the halves opposite each other in two rows; but he did not cut up the birds. 11 Vultures came down on the bodies, but Abram drove them off.
12 When the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and fear and terror came over him. 13 The Lord said to him, “Your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land; they will be slaves there and will be treated cruelly for four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and when they leave that foreign land, they will take great wealth with them. 15 You yourself will live to a ripe old age, die in peace, and be buried. 16 It will be four generations before your descendants come back here, because I will not drive out the Amorites until they become so wicked that they must be punished.”
17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch suddenly appeared and passed between the pieces of the animals. 18 Then and there the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He said, “I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River, 19 including the lands of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
