12:1 Now the Lord said ¹  to Abram, ² 

“Go out ³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ⁴ 

12:2 Then I will make you ⁵  into a great nation, and I will bless you, ⁶ 

and I will make your name great, ⁷ 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. ⁸ 

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ⁹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ¹⁰  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ¹¹  by your name.”

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ¹  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ² 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ³  what will you give me since ⁴  I continue to be ⁵  childless, and my heir ⁶  is ⁷  Eliezer of Damascus?” ⁸  15:3 Abram added, ⁹  “Since ¹⁰  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ¹¹ 

15:4 But look, ¹²  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ¹³  will not be your heir, ¹⁴  but instead ¹⁵  a son ¹⁶  who comes from your own body will be ¹⁷  your heir.” ¹⁸  15:5 The Lord ¹⁹  took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

15:6 Abram believed ²⁰  the Lord, and the Lord ²¹  considered his response of faith ²²  as proof of genuine loyalty. ²³ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ¹  Sarah ²  will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. ³  Kings of countries ⁴  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ⁵  as he said to himself, ⁶  “Can ⁷  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁸  Can Sarah ⁹  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹⁰  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ¹¹  Ishmael might live before you!” ¹² 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ¹³  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ¹⁴  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ¹⁵  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ¹⁶  He will become the father of twelve princes; ¹⁷  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”