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Genesis 12
New International Version

### The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household(A) to the land(B) I will show you.(C)

2 “I will make you into a great nation,(D)
and I will bless you;(E)
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a](F)
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;(G)
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.(H)”[b]

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot(I) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old(J) when he set out from Harran.(K) 5 He took his wife Sarai,(L) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated(M) and the people(N) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,(O) and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land(P) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh(Q) at Shechem.(R) At that time the Canaanites(S) were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram(T) and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.(U)”(V) So he built an altar there to the Lord,(W) who had appeared to him.

8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel(X) and pitched his tent,(Y) with Bethel on the west and Ai(Z) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.(AA)

9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.(AB)

### Abram in Egypt(AC)

10 Now there was a famine in the land,(AD) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.(AE) 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,(AF) “I know what a beautiful woman(AG) you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister,(AH) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.(AI) 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.(AJ)

17 But the Lord inflicted(AK) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household(AL) because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”(AM) he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?(AN) 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’(AO) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

#### Footnotes

1. Genesis 12:2 Or be seen as blessed
2. Genesis 12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)
3. Genesis 12:7 Or seed

#### Cross references

1. Genesis 12:1 : Ge 20:13; 24:4, 27, 40
2. Genesis 12:1 : S Ge 10:19
3. Genesis 12:1 : Ge 15:7; 26:2; Jos 24:3; Ac 7:3*; Heb 11:8
4. Genesis 12:2 : Ge 13:16; 15:5; 17:2, 4; 18:18; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3, 14; 32:12; 35:11; 41:49; 46:3; 47:27; 48:4, 16, 19; Ex 1:7; 5:5; 32:13; Dt 1:10; 10:22; 13:17; 26:5; Jos 11:4; 24:3; 2Sa 17:11; 1Ki 3:8; 4:20; 1Ch 27:23; 2Ch 1:9; Ne 9:23; Ps 107:38; Isa 6:13; 10:22; 48:19; 51:2; 54:3; 60:22; Jer 33:22; Mic 4:7
5. Genesis 12:2 : Ge 24:1, 35; 25:11; 26:3; 28:4; Ex 20:24; Nu 22:12; 23:8, 20; 24:9; Ps 67:6; 115:12; Isa 44:3; 61:9; 65:23; Mal 3:12
6. Genesis 12:2 : Ge 22:18; Isa 19:24; Jer 4:2; Hag 2:19; Zec 8:13
7. Genesis 12:3 : Ge 27:29; Ex 23:22; Nu 24:9; Dt 30:7
8. Genesis 12:3 : Ge 15:5; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:4, 14; Dt 9:5; Ps 72:17; Isa 19:25; Ac 3:25; Gal 3:8*
9. Genesis 12:4 : S Ge 11:27
10. Genesis 12:4 : Ge 16:3, 16; 17:1, 17, 24; 21:5
11. Genesis 12:4 : S Ge 11:31
12. Genesis 12:5 : S Ge 11:29
13. Genesis 12:5 : ver 16; Ge 13:2, 6; 31:18; 46:6
14. Genesis 12:5 : Ge 14:14; 15:3; 17:23; Ecc 2:7
15. Genesis 12:5 : Ge 11:31; 16:3; Heb 11:8
16. Genesis 12:6 : Heb 11:9
17. Genesis 12:6 : Ge 35:4; Dt 11:30; Jos 24:26; Jdg 7:1; 9:6
18. Genesis 12:6 : Ge 33:18; 37:12; Jos 17:7; 20:7; 24:1; Jdg 8:31; 21:19; 1Ki 12:1; Ps 60:6; 108:7
19. Genesis 12:6 : S Ge 10:18
20. Genesis 12:7 : Ge 17:1; 18:1; 26:2; 35:1; Ex 6:3; Ac 7:2
21. Genesis 12:7 : Ex 3:8; Nu 10:29; Dt 30:5; Heb 11:8
22. Genesis 12:7 : Ge 13:15, 17; 15:18; 17:8; 23:18; 24:7; 26:3-4; 28:13; 35:12; 48:4; 50:24; Ex 6:4, 8; 13:5, 11; 32:13; 33:1; Nu 11:12; Dt 1:8; 2:31; 9:5; 11:9; 34:4; 2Ki 25:21; 1Ch 16:16; 2Ch 20:7; Ps 105:9-11; Jer 25:5; Eze 47:14; Ac 7:5; Ro 4:13; Gal 3:16*
23. Genesis 12:7 : S Ge 8:20; 13:4
24. Genesis 12:8 : Ge 13:3; 28:11, 19; 35:1, 8, 15; Jos 7:2; 8:9; 1Sa 7:16; 1Ki 12:29; Hos 12:4; Am 3:14; 4:4
25. Genesis 12:8 : Ge 26:25; 33:19; Heb 11:9
26. Genesis 12:8 : Jos 7:2; 12:9; Ezr 2:28; Ne 7:32; Jer 49:3
27. Genesis 12:8 : S Ge 4:26; S 8:20
28. Genesis 12:9 : Ge 13:1, 3; 20:1; 24:62; Nu 13:17; 33:40; Dt 34:3; Jos 10:40
29. Genesis 12:10 : 12:10-20Ref — Ge 20:1-18; 26:1-11
30. Genesis 12:10 : Ge 41:27, 57; 42:5; 43:1; 47:4, 13; Ru 1:1; 2Sa 21:1; 2Ki 8:1; Ps 105:19
31. Genesis 12:10 : Ge 41:30, 54, 56; 47:20; Ps 105:16
32. Genesis 12:11 : S Ge 11:29
33. Genesis 12:11 : ver 14; Ge 24:16; 26:7; 29:17; 39:6
34. Genesis 12:13 : Ge 20:2; 26:7
35. Genesis 12:14 : S ver 11
36. Genesis 12:16 : S ver 5; Ge 24:35; 26:14; 30:43; 32:5; 34:23; 47:17; Job 1:3; 31:25
37. Genesis 12:17 : 2Ki 15:5; Job 30:11; Isa 53:4, 10
38. Genesis 12:17 : 1Ch 16:21; Ps 105:14
39. Genesis 12:18 : Ge 20:9; 26:10; 29:25; 31:26; 44:15
40. Genesis 12:18 : Isa 43:27; 51:2; Eze 16:3
41. Genesis 12:19 : Ge 20:5; 26:9

New International Version (NIV)

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