Genesis 12

The Call of Abram

1 God told Abram, leave your country, your people, and your father’s house. Go to the land I am going to show you.’

2 I am going to make you into a big nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing to others.

3 ‘I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.’

4 So Abram packed up and left, just like God told him. He was 75 years old when he left Harran.

5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all their stuff, and the people they had gathered in Harran and headed to Canaan.

6 They made it to Canaan, and Abram traveled as far as Shechem, to the oak tree at Moreh. Back then, the Canaanites were living in the land.

7 God appeared to Abram and said, ‘I am giving this land to your kids.’ Abram built an altar there to worship God.

8 Then he moved to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent. Bethel was on the west, and Ai was on the east. He built another altar and called on God’s name.

9 After that, Abram kept moving south toward the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

10 Then a famine hit the land hard, so Abram went down to Egypt to survive.

11 As they were about to enter Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, ‘Listen, you are a fine-looking woman.’

12 ‘When the Egyptians see you, they are going to kill me so they can take you.’

13 ‘Do me a favor, tell them you are my sister so they will treat me well and let me live because of you.’

14 When Abram and Sarai got to Egypt, the Egyptians saw she was stunning.

15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her too and hyped her up to Pharaoh. So, she got taken into Pharaoh’s palace.

16 Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants.

17 But God was not having it. He hit Pharaoh and his household with some serious plagues because of Sarai.

18 Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘Listen, what is this you did to me, Why did you not tell me she is your wife,’

19 ‘Why did you say she is your sister so I took her as my wife, Here is your wife, take her and bounce!’

20 Pharaoh ordered his men to send Abram, his wife, and everything he owned out of Egypt.