God's Promise to Abram
Genesis 12, verse 1. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land I will show you. Genesis 12, verse 2. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12, verse 3. I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you; and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12, verse 4. Then Abram departed as the Lord said to him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Genesis 12, verse 5. So Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son and all their possessions and every soul they acquired in Haran, and they departed for the land of Canaan. Thus they came to the land of Canaan. Genesis 12, verse 6. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Genesis 12, verse 7. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land.” And there Abram built an altar to the Lord, who appeared to him. Genesis 12, verse 8. So he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 12, verse 9. Then Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Abram in Egypt
Genesis 12, verse 10. Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. Genesis 12, verse 11. So it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know you are a beautiful woman. Genesis 12, verse 12. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, so they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Genesis 12, verse 13. Therefore say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and I may live because of you.” Genesis 12, verse 14. So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. Genesis 12, verse 15. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. Then the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. Genesis 12, verse 16. Now he treated Abram well for her sake, and gave him sheep, oxen, donkeys, male and female servants, mules and camels. Genesis 12, verse 17. But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. Genesis 12, verse 18. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife? Genesis 12, verse 19. Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” Genesis 12, verse 20. So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning Abram; and they sent him away, with his wife and all he had.