Genesis 12

reviewed Worded for an eighth-grade reader; the reading is the Translation's. Read the Translation with its notes.

1 The LORD said to Abram, "Go, for yourself, from your land, from your roots, and from your father's house. Go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. And be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who makes light of you I will curse. In you all the clans of the ground will be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Harran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot. He took all the goods they had gained, and the people they had made in Harran. They set out to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the great tree of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your offspring." So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent. Bethel was to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

9 Then Abram set out, and he kept moving on toward the Negev.

10 There was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while, because the famine was heavy in the land. 11 He came near to Egypt. Then he said to his wife Sarai, "Look, please: I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say that you are my sister, so that it will go well with me for your sake. Then I will stay alive because of you." 14 When Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. Abram had sheep and goats, cattle, donkeys, slaves, maids, female donkeys, and camels. 17 And the LORD struck Pharaoh and his household with great plagues, on the word of Sarai, Abram's wife.

18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she is your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? And I took her as my wife. Now look, here is your wife. Take her and go." 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders to men about Abram. They sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.