The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 12 -

(Genesis 26:1–5; Acts 7:1–8)

Then the Lord said to Abram: “Depart from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and come into the land that I will show you.

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you will be blessed.

I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

And so Abram departed just as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

And he took his wife Sarai, and Lot, the son of his brother, and all the substance which they had come to possess, and the lives which they had acquired in Haran, and they departed in order to go to the land of Canaan. And when they arrived in it,

Abram passed through the land even to the place of Shechem, as far as the famous steep valley. Now at that time, the Canaanite was in the land.

Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and he said to him, “To your offspring, I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

And passing on from there to a mountain, which was opposite the east of Bethel, he pitched his tent there, having Bethel to the west, and Hai on the east. He also built an altar there to the Lord, and he called upon his name.

And Abram traveled, going out and continuing further on, toward the south.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

But a famine occurred in the land. And Abram descended to Egypt, to sojourn there. For famine prevailed over the land.(a)

And when he was close to entering Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai: “I know you to be a beautiful woman.

And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ And they will put me to death, and retain you.

Therefore, I beg you to say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and so that my soul may live by your favor.”(b)

And so, when Abram had arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was exceedingly beautiful.

And the princes reported it to Pharaoh, and they praised her to him. And the woman was inducted into the house of Pharaoh.

In truth, they treated Abram well because of her. And he had sheep and oxen and male donkeys, and men servants, and women servants, and female donkeys, and camels.

But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his house with great wounds because of Sarai, the wife of Abram.

And Pharaoh called Abram, and he said to him: “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife?

For what reason did you claim her to be your sister, so that I would take her to me as a wife? Now therefore, behold your mate, receive her and go.”

And Pharaoh instructed his men about Abram. And they led him away with his wife and all that he had.

Footnotes

(a)12:10 People went to Egypt during a famine. For famines were often caused by droughts. Israel and the surrounding regions have little rain even in a year of average rainfall. When there is a drought, they cannot grow crops without rain. And many of their smaller rivers or streams would dry up completely during a drought. But even during a severe drought, the river Nile never went dry. So Egypt could always grow food.(Conte)

(b)12:13 My sister:This was no lie; because she was his niece, being daughter to his brother Aran, and therefore, in the style of the Hebrews, she might truly be called his sister, as Lot is called Abram’s brother, Gen. 14:14. See Gen. 20:12.(Challoner)

(Genesis 26:1–5; Acts 7:1–8)

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.

I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

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

Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. They entered into the land of Canaan.

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

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.”(a) He built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the LORD’s name.

Abram traveled, still going on toward the South.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land.

When he had come near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.

It will happen that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive.

Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”

When Abram had come into Egypt, Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

The LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife?

Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way.”

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

Footnotes

(a)12:7 or, seed