Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 29
11:29–12:13
G enesis
17
while his father, Terah, was still living. Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both
married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s
wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s
brother Haran.) But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no
children.
One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son
Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved
away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan,
but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and
died while still in Haran.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives,
and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make
you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will
be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those
who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed
through you.”
So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him.
Abram was s eventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife,
Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his w
ealth—his livestock and all the people
he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of
Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land
as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that
time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your
descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord,
who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp
in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built
another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.
Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.
At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to
go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. As he was approaching
the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very
beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his
wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are
my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their
interest in you.”
