Genesis, 12

1. Yahweh said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your kindred and your father's house for a country which I shall show you;

1. Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

2. and I shall make you a great nation, I shall bless you and make your name famous; you are to be a blessing!

2. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3. I shall bless those who bless you, and shall curse those who curse you, and all clans on earth will bless themselves by you.'

3. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."

4. So Abram went as Yahweh told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

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

5. Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had amassed and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set off for the land of Canaan, and arrived there.

5. And Abram took Sar'ai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,

6. Abram passed through the country as far as the holy place at Shechem, the Oak of Moreh. The Canaanites were in the country at the time.

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

7. Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, 'I shall give this country to your progeny.' And there, Abram built an altar to Yahweh who had appeared to him.

7. Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8. From there he moved on to the mountainous district east of Bethel, where he pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and invoked the name of Yahweh.

8. Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

9. Then Abram made his way stage by stage to the Negeb.

9. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

10. There was a famine in the country, and Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a time, since the famine in the country was severe.

10. Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

11. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, 'Look, I know you are a beautiful woman.

11. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sar'ai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful to behold;

12. When the Egyptians see you they will say, "That is his wife," and they will kill me but leave you alive.

12. and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, `This is his wife'; then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

13. Therefore please tell them you are my sister, so that they may treat me well because of you and spare my life out of regard for you.'

13. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account."

14. When Abram arrived in Egypt the Egyptians did indeed see that the woman was very beautiful.

14. When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

15. When Pharaoh's officials saw her they sang her praises to Pharaoh and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's household.

15. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

16. And Abram was very well treated because of her and received flocks, oxen, donkeys, men and women slaves, she-donkeys and camels.

16. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, he-asses, menservants, maidservants, she-asses, and camels.

17. But Yahweh inflicted severe plagues on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.

17. But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sar'ai, Abram's wife.

18. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife?

18. So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

19. Why did you say, "She is my sister," so that I took her to be my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!'

19. Why did you say, `She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone."

20. And Pharaoh gave his people orders about him; they sent him on his way with his wife and all his possessions.

20. And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.