Genesis 15
Expanded Bible
God’s Covenant with Abram
15 After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will ·defend [L be a shield to] you, and ·I will give you a great reward [L your reward will be great].”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God [C Hebrew Adonai Yahweh; combination of covenant name YHWH (2:4) with common Hebrew word for “sir,” “lord,” or “master”], what can you give me? I ·have no son [am childless], so my ·slave [servant] Eliezer from Damascus [C a major city in Syria] will ·get everything I own after I die [be my heir; C a household servant would take care of a childless couple in their old age and in turn inherit their possessions].” 3 Abram said, “Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will ·inherit everything I have [be my heir].”
4 Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram: “He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have.”
5 Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the ·sky [heavens]. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your ·descendants [L seed] also will be too many to count.”
6 Abram ·believed [put his trust/faith in] the Lord. And the Lord ·accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [T counted/credited it as righteousness; Rom. 4:3, 9, 22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23].
7 God said to Abram, “I am the Lord who led you out of Ur of ·Babylonia [L the Chaldeans] so that I could give you this land ·to own [L as a possession; 12:1–3].”
8 But Abram said, “Lord God, how can I ·be sure [L know] that I will ·own this land [possess/inherit it]?”
9 ·The Lord [L He] said to Abram, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ·male sheep [ram], a ·dove [turtledove], and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought them all to God. Then Abram ·killed the animals and cut each of them into two pieces [L split them down the middle], laying each half opposite the other half. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 Later, ·large birds [or birds of prey] flew down to eat the ·animals [L carcasses], but Abram chased them away [C perhaps representing later enemies of Israel].
12 As the sun was ·going down [setting], Abram fell into a deep sleep. While he was asleep, a very ·terrible [or frightening] darkness came. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your ·descendants [L seed] will be ·strangers [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves and ·be cruel to [oppress] them for four hundred years. 14 But I will ·punish [judge] the nation ·where they are slaves [L which they serve]. Then your ·descendants [L seed] will leave that land, taking great ·wealth [possessions] with them. 15 And you, Abram, will ·die [L go to your fathers/ancestors] in peace and will be buried at an old age. 16 ·After your great-great-grandchildren are born [L After the fourth generation], ·your people [L they] will come ·to this land [L here] again. It will take that long, because ·I am not yet going to punish the Amorites for their evil behavior [T the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete; C Amorites is one name for the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan].”
17 After the sun went down, it was very dark. Suddenly a smoking firepot and a blazing torch [C fire and smoke often represent God] passed between the ·halves of the dead animals [L pieces; C a self-curse ritual; by passing between the pieces of the sacrifice, one vowed to keep an agreement or suffer the same fate as the animals]. 18 So on that day the Lord ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty; 6:18] with Abram and said, “I will give to your ·descendants [L seed] the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates. 19 This is the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites [C the name of peoples who lived in pre-Israelite Canaan].”
Genesis 15
King James Version
15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Génesis 15
Palabra de Dios para Todos
Pacto de Dios con Abram
15 Después de esto el SEÑOR se le apareció a Abram en una visión y le dijo:
«Abram, no te asustes.
Yo soy tu protector,
tu recompensa será muy grande».
2 Pero Abram le dijo:
—Oh Señor DIOS, ¿qué me vas a dar? Yo ni siquiera tengo hijos, y el heredero de todo lo mío es Eliezer de Damasco.[a]
3 Luego Abram dijo:
—No me has dado hijos, por lo tanto, será un esclavo nacido en mi casa quien herede mis posesiones.
4 La palabra del SEÑOR vino a él diciendo:
—Él no será tu heredero. Tu propio hijo te heredará.
5 Luego Dios llevó a Abram afuera[b] y le dijo:
—Mira bien el cielo, hay muchas estrellas, pero no las puedes contar ahora.
Y siguió diciendo:
—Pues bien, así ocurrirá con tus descendientes.
6 Abram le creyó al SEÑOR, quien valió su fe como si hubiera realizado algo muy bueno y lo aprobó. 7 Luego le dijo:
—Yo soy el SEÑOR que te sacó de Ur de Babilonia para darte esta tierra como herencia.
8 Entonces Abram le dijo:
—Oh Señor DIOS, ¿cómo puedo estar seguro de que esta tierra será mía?
9 Y él le dijo:
—Consigue para mí una ternera de tres años de edad, una cabra de tres años de edad, un carnero de tres años de edad, una paloma adulta y una paloma joven.
10 Abram los consiguió y los partió por la mitad. Después puso una mitad frente a la otra. Pero a las aves no las partió por la mitad. 11 Más tarde, unos buitres bajaban a comerse los animales muertos, pero Abram los espantaba.
12 A medida que el sol bajaba, Abram quedó como en trance. Cayó sobre él una profunda y tenebrosa oscuridad. 13 El SEÑOR le dijo:
—Ten por seguro que tus descendientes serán inmigrantes en un país al que no pertenecen. Serán esclavos de la gente de ese país y serán tratados cruelmente por 400 años. 14 Pero yo juzgaré a esa nación en la que ellos servirán, y después tus descendientes saldrán libres con grandes riquezas. 15 Tú vivirás muchos años, morirás en paz y serás sepultado. 16 Después de cuatro generaciones, tus descendientes regresarán aquí ya que la maldad de los amorreos no ha llegado todavía a su colmo.
17 Cuando se hizo de noche y todo estaba oscuro, apareció un hornillo echando humo y una antorcha encendida que se movía entre los animales muertos.[c]
18 Ese día el SEÑOR hizo un pacto con Abram y dijo:
—Daré esta tierra a tus descendientes, desde el río de Egipto[d] hasta el gran río Éufrates, 19 las tierras de los quenitas, los quenizitas, los cadmoneos, 20 los heteos, los ferezeos, los refaítas, 21 los amorreos, los cananeos, los gergeseos y los jebuseos.
Footnotes
- 15:2 heredero […] Damasco El hebreo es oscuro.
- 15:5 afuera Esto ocurre durante el día cuando no se pueden ver las estrellas, ni se pueden contar.
- 15:17 se movía […] muertos Esto mostraba que el Señor había firmado o sellado el pacto que había hecho con Abram.
- 15:18 río de Egipto No es el río Nilo, sino una quebrada llamada Arroyo de El Arish.
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