Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot.

Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

The Lord said to Abram:

Go out from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

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

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

Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.

There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine in the land was severe.

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

He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

Then Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him.

Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.

to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of Yahweh there.

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.

and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

Then Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.

Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities of the valley and set up his tent near Sodom.

After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west,

So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, for he was living in Sodom, and they went on.

One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew, who lived near the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram.

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and they went in pursuit as far as Dan.

After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

He blessed him and said:

Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,

and I give praise to God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.”

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’

After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield;
your reward will be very great.

But Abram said, “Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years.

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River:

Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.

Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

So Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years.

Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you.”

Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your hands; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.

So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son Hagar had.

Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and be blameless.

Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him:

Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations.