Genesis 15

¹After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.

²And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me.

³And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.

⁴Then said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you.

⁵And he took him out into the open air, and said to him, Let your eyes be lifted to heaven, and see if the stars may be numbered; even so will your seed be.

⁶And he had faith in the Lord, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

⁷And he said to him, I am the Lord, who took you from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land for your heritage.

⁸And he said, O Lord God, how may I be certain that it will be mine?

⁹And he said, Take a young cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a sheep of three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon.

¹⁰All these he took, cutting them in two and putting one half opposite the other, but not cutting the birds in two.

¹¹And evil birds came down on the bodies, but Abram sent them away.

¹²Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep came on Abram, and a dark cloud of fear.

¹³And he said to Abram, Truly, your seed will be living in a land which is not theirs, as servants to a people who will be cruel to them for four hundred years;