Abram listened to Sarai's suggestion, so Abram's wife Sarai took her Egyptian servant, Hagar, and gave her as a wife to her husband Abram. This took place ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.

Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of 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 journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they had gone as far as Haran, they settled there,

So Abram left there, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I'll give this land to your descendants." So Abram built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

He treated Abram well because of her, so Abram acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

After Lot had separated from Abram, the LORD told Abram, "Look off to the north, south, east, and west from where you're living,

Someone escaped, arrived, and reported what had happened to Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, whose brothers Eshcol and Aner were allied with Abram.

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

Some time later, a message came from the LORD to Abram in a vision. "Stop being afraid, Abram," he said. "I myself your shield am your very great reward."

Hagar eventually gave birth to Abram's son. Abram named his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael.

Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael for Abram.

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, "I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I'm always with you, and be blameless.

When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Now these are the family records of Terah: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.

The LORD told Abram, "You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father's house and go to the land that I'm going to show you.

Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the servants he had acquired while living in Haran. Then they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan,

Abram traveled through the land to the place called Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

From there Abram traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel and set up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Then Abram traveled on, continuing into the Negev.

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

As Abram was entering Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful Sarai was.

But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, "What have you done to me! Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?

So Pharaoh assigned men to Abram, and they escorted him, his wife, and all that he had out of the country.

Abram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his household including Lot to the Negev.

Now Abram had become quite wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.

where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

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

There was strife between the herdsmen in charge of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen in charge of Lot's livestock. Also, at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

So Abram told Lot, "Please, let's not have strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.

So Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent in the vicinity of Sodom.

So Abram moved his tent and settled beside the oaks of Mamre that are by Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

They also took Abram's nephew Lot captive, and confiscated his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken prisoner, he gathered together 318 of his trained men, who had been born in his household, and they went out in pursuit as far as Dan.

During the night, Abram and his servants divided his forces, conquered his enemies, and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

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

and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your control." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The king of Sodom told Abram, "Return the people to me, and you take the possessions for yourself."

But Abram answered the king of Sodom, "I have made an oath to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

that I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you won't be able to say, "I made Abram rich.'

But Abram replied, "Lord GOD, what can you give me since I continue to be childless, and the heir of my household is Eliezer from Damascus?

Look!" Abram said, "You haven't given me any offspring, so a servant born in my house is going to be my heir."

Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

So Abram brought him all these animals and cut each of them in half, down the middle, placing the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds in half.

When birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

As the sun began to set, Abram was overcome with deep sleep, and suddenly a frightening and terrifying darkness descended on him.

Then the LORD told Abram, "You can be certain about this: Your descendants will be foreigners in a land that isn't theirs. They will be slaves there and will be oppressed for 400 years.

That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: "I'm giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River

Now Abram's wife Sarai had not borne a child for him. She had an Egyptian servant girl whose name was Hagar.

So Sarai told Abram, "You are well aware that the LORD has prevented me from giving birth to a child. Go have sex with my servant, so that I may possibly bear a son through her."

Then Sarai told Abram, "My suffering is your fault! I gave you my servant so you could have sex with her, and when she discovered that she was pregnant, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!"

Abram answered Sarai, "Look, your servant is under your control, so do to her as you wish." So Sarai dealt so harshly with Hagar that she ran away from Sarai.

Then Abram fell to the ground as God continued speaking to him.

Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations.

who fathered Abram that is, Abraham.

You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans and to whom you gave the name Abraham.