⁷ He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out^(A) of Ur of the Chaldeans^(B) to give you this land to take possession of it.”^(C)

⁸ But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,^(D) how can I know^(E) that I will gain possession of it?”^(F)

⁹ So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer,^(G) a goat and a ram, each three years old,^(H) along with a dove and a young pigeon.^(I)”

¹⁰ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other;^(J) the birds, however, he did not cut in half.^{(K) 11} Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses,^(L) but Abram drove them away.

¹² As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,^(M) and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years^(N) your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved^(O) and mistreated there. ¹⁴ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out^(P) with great possessions.^{(Q) 15} You, however, will go to your ancestors^(R) in peace and be buried at a good old age.^{(S) 16} In the fourth generation^(T) your descendants will come back here,^(U) for the sin of the Amorites^(V) has not yet reached its full measure.”

¹⁷ When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch^(W) appeared and passed between the pieces.^{(X) 18} On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram^(Y) and said, “To your descendants I give this land,^(Z) from the Wadi^[a] of Egypt^(AA) to the great river, the Euphrates^(AB)—

² Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(A) and will greatly increase your numbers.”^(B)

³ Abram fell facedown,^(C) and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you:^(D) You will be the father of many nations.^{(E) 5} No longer will you be called Abram^[a]; your name will be Abraham,^[b](F) for I have made you a father of many nations.^{(G) 6} I will make you very fruitful;^(H) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^{(I) 7} I will establish my covenant^(J) as an everlasting covenant^(K) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God^(L) and the God of your descendants after you.^{(M) 8} The whole land of Canaan,^(N) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(O) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;^(P) and I will be their God.^(Q)”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(R) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^{(S) 10} This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^{(T) 11} You are to undergo circumcision,^(U) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(V) between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come^(W) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(X) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.^(Y) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^{(Z) 14} Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(AA) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(AB) he has broken my covenant.^(AC)”

²⁵ And you are heirs^(A) of the prophets and of the covenant^(B) God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’^[a](C)

¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.^(A) Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”^[a](B) meaning one person, who is Christ.