Genesis — Chapter 15

King James Version (KJV)

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Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram ^Rin a vision, saying, ^RFear not, Abram: I am ^Rthy shield, ^Rand thy exceeding great reward.

Genesis 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, ^Rwhat wilt thou give me, seeing I go ^Rchildless, and ^Rthe steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Genesis 15:3 And Abram said, ^RBehold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one ^Rborn in my house is mine heir.

Genesis 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that ^Rshall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and ^Rtell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, ^RSo shall thy seed be.

Genesis 15:6 And ^Rhe believed in the LORD; and ^Rhe counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that ^Rbrought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, ^Rto give thee this land to inherit it.

Genesis 15:8 And he said, Lord GOD, ^Rwhereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

Genesis 15:9 And he said unto him, ^RTake me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

Genesis 15:10 And he took unto him all these, and ^Rdivided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but ^Rthe birds divided he not.

Genesis 15:11 And when the ^Rfowls came down upon the carcases, ^RAbram drove them away.

Genesis 15:12 And when the sun was going down, a ^Rdeep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an ^Rhorror of great darkness fell upon him.

Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that ^Rthy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their’s, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them ^Rfour hundred years;

Genesis 15:14 And also ^Rthat nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out ^Rwith great substance.

Genesis 15:15 ^RAnd thou shalt go to thy fathers ^Rin peace; thou shalt be ^Rburied in a ^Rgood old age.

Genesis 15:16 But ^Rin the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the ^RAmorites is ^Rnot yet full.

Genesis 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a ^Rsmoking furnace, and ^RTa burning lamp that ^Rpassed between those pieces.

Genesis 15:18 In the same day the LORD ^Rmade a covenant with Abram, saying, ^RUnto thy seed have I given this land, ^Rfrom the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river ^REuphrates:

Genesis 15:19 The ^RKenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

Genesis 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the ^RRephaims,

Genesis 15:21 And the ^RAmorites, and the Canaanites, and the ^RGirgashites, and the Jebusites.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 15:1–6 — Abram Believes the LORD

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

The word of the LORD comes to Abram in a vision, telling him not to fear. Abram speaks of being childless, but God promises that his heir will come from his own body and compares his future descendants to the stars. Abram believes the LORD.

Key Truth: Abram believes God’s promise, and the LORD counts it to him for righteousness.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 15:7–11 — The LORD Speaks of the Land

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

The LORD reminds Abram that He brought him from Ur of the Chaldees to give him the land. Abram asks how he will know that he shall inherit it, and God instructs him to prepare specific animals.

Key Truth: The promise of descendants is joined with God’s promise concerning the land.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 15:12–16 — Abram’s Descendants Foretold

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

As Abram falls into a deep sleep, God tells him that his descendants will be strangers in another land, will serve there, and will be afflicted four hundred years. God also declares that He will judge that nation and that Abram’s descendants will afterward come out with great substance.

Key Truth: God reveals future hardship for Abram’s descendants while also promising their deliverance and return.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 15:17–21 — The Covenant Concerning the Land

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

After sunset, a smoking furnace and burning lamp pass between the pieces. The LORD makes a covenant with Abram and identifies the extent of the land promised to Abram’s seed, from the river of Egypt unto the great river Euphrates.

Key Truth: The LORD formally declares His covenant promise concerning the land to Abram’s seed.

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