Genesis 12

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Yahweh said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your kindred and your father's house for a country whichI shal show you;	1 Then the Lord said to Abram: “Depart from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and come into the land that I will show you.
2 and I shal make you a great nation, I shal bless you and make your name famous; you are to be ablessing!	2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you will be blessed.
3 I shal bless those who bless you, and shal curse those who curse you, and al clans on earth willbless themselves by you.'	3 I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
4 So Abram went as Yahweh told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old whenhe left Haran.	4 And so Abram departed just as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had amassed and the people theyhad acquired in Haran. They set off for the land of Canaan, and arrived there.	5 And he took his wife Sarai, and Lot, the son of his brother, and all the substance which they had come to possess, and the lives which they had acquired in Haran, and they departed in order to go to the land of Canaan. And when they arrived in it,
6 Abram passed through the country as far as the holy place at Shechem, the Oak of Moreh. TheCanaanites were in the country at the time.	6 Abram passed through the land even to the place of Shechem, as far as the famous steep valley. Now at that time, the Canaanite was in the land.
7 Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, 'I shal give this country to your progeny.' And there, Abrambuilt an altar to Yahweh who had appeared to him.	7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and he said to him, “To your offspring, I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he moved on to the mountainous district east of Bethel, where he pitched his tent, withBethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and invoked the name of Yahweh.	8 And passing on from there to a mountain, which was opposite the east of Bethel, he pitched his tent there, having Bethel to the west, and Hai on the east. He also built an altar there to the Lord, and he called upon his name.
9 Then Abram made his way stage by stage to the Negeb.	9 And Abram traveled, going out and continuing further on, toward the south.
10 There was a famine in the country, and Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a time, since thefamine in the country was severe.	10 But a famine occurred in the land. And Abram descended to Egypt, to sojourn there. For famine prevailed over the land.
11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, 'Look, I know you are a beautifulwoman.	11 And when he was close to entering Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai: “I know you to be a beautiful woman.
12 When the Egyptians see you they wil say, "That is his wife," and they wil kil me but leave you alive.	12 And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ And they will put me to death, and retain you.
13 Therefore please tell them you are my sister, so that they may treat me wel because of you andspare my life out of regard for you.'	13 Therefore, I beg you to say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and so that my soul may live by your favor.”
14 When Abram arrived in Egypt the Egyptians did indeed see that the woman was very beautiful.	14 And so, when Abram had arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was exceedingly beautiful.
15 When Pharaoh's officials saw her they sang her praises to Pharaoh and the woman was taken intoPharaoh's household.	15 And the princes reported it to Pharaoh, and they praised her to him. And the woman was inducted into the house of Pharaoh.
16 And Abram was very well treated because of her and received flocks, oxen, donkeys, men andwomen slaves, she-donkeys and camels.	16 In truth, they treated Abram well because of her. And he had sheep and oxen and male donkeys, and men servants, and women servants, and female donkeys, and camels.
17 But Yahweh inflicted severe plagues on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.	17 But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his house with great wounds because of Sarai, the wife of Abram.
18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell meshe was your wife?	18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and he said to him: “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife?
19 Why did you say, "She is my sister," so that I took her to be my wife? Now, here is your wife. Takeher and go!'	19 For what reason did you claim her to be your sister, so that I would take her to me as a wife? Now therefore, behold your mate, receive her and go.”
20 And Pharaoh gave his people orders about him; they sent him on his way with his wife and al hispossessions.	20 And Pharaoh instructed his men about Abram. And they led him away with his wife and all that he had.