The Lord Chooses Abram

12 ^(A) The Lord said to Abram:

Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. ^3 (B) I will bless those who bless you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.^[a]

^4-5 Abram was 75 years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had acquired while in Haran.

When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram went as far as the sacred tree of Moreh in a place called Shechem. The Canaanites were still living in the land at that time, ^7 (C) but the Lord appeared to Abram and promised, “I will give this land to your family forever.” Abram then built an altar there for the Lord.

⁸ Abram traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and camped between Bethel and Ai, where he built another altar and worshiped the Lord. ⁹ Later, Abram started out toward the Southern Desert.

Sarah Has a Son

21 The Lord was good to Sarah and kept his promise. ^2 (A) Although Abraham was very old, Sarah had a son exactly at the time God had said. ³ Abraham named his son Isaac,