1 His itaque transactis, factus est sermo Domini ad Abram per visionem dicens: “Noli timere, Abram! Ego protector tuus sum, et merces tua magna erit nimis”. | 1 Some time later, the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram! I am yourshield and shal give you a very great reward. |
2 Dixitque Abram: “Domine Deus, quid dabis mihi? Ego vadam absque liberis, et heres domus meae erit Damascenus Eliezer ”. | 2 'Lord Yahweh,' Abram replied, 'what use are your gifts, as I am going on my way childless? . . . |
3 Addiditque Abram: “En mihi non dedisti semen, et ecce vernaculus meus heres meus erit”. | 3 Since you have given me no offspring,' Abram continued, 'a member of my household will be my heir.' |
4 Sed ecce sermo Domini factus est ad eum: “Non erit hic heres tuus, sed qui egredietur de visceribus tuis, ipsum habebis heredem ”. | 4 Then Yahweh's word came to him in reply, 'Such a one wil not be your heir; no, your heir will be theissue of your own body.' |
5 Eduxitque eum foras et ait illi: “Suspice caelum et numera stellas, si potes”. Et dixit ei: “Sic erit semen tuum”. | 5 Then taking him outside, he said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so wil yourdescendants be,' he told him. |
6 Credidit Domino, et reputatum est ei ad iustitiam.
| 6 Abram put his faith in Yahweh and this was reckoned to him as uprightness. |
7 Dixitque ad eum: “Ego Dominus, qui eduxi te de Ur Chaldaeorum, ut darem tibi terram istam, et possideres eam”. | 7 He then said to him, 'I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to give you thiscountry as your possession.' |
8 Et ille ait: “Domine Deus, unde scire possum quod possessurus sim eam?”.
| 8 'Lord Yahweh,' Abram replied, 'how can I know that I shal possess it?' |
9 Respondens Dominus: “Sume, inquit, mihi vitulam triennem et capram trimam et arietem annorum trium, turturem quoque et columbam”. | 9 He said to him, 'Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, aturtledove and a young pigeon.' |
10 Qui tollens universa haec divisit ea per medium et utrasque partes contra se altrinsecus posuit; aves autem non divisit. | 10 He brought him all these, split the animals down the middle and placed each half opposite the other;but the birds he did not divide. |
11 Descenderuntque volucres super cadavera, et abigebat eas Abram.
| 11 And whenever birds of prey swooped down on the carcases, Abram drove them off. |
12 Cumque sol occumberet, sopor irruit super Abram, et ecce horror magnus et tenebrosus invasit eum. | 12 Now, as the sun was on the point of setting, a trance fel on Abram, and a deep dark dreaddescended on him. |
13 Dictumque est ad eum: “Scito praenoscens quod peregrinum futurum sit semen tuum in terra non sua, et subicient eos servituti et affligent quadringentis annis. | 13 Then Yahweh said to Abram, 'Know this for certain, that your descendants will be exiles in a land nottheir own, and be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. |
14 Verumtamen et gentem, cui servituri sunt, ego iudicabo, et post haec egredientur cum magna substantia. | 14 But I shal bring judgement on the nation that enslaves them and after this they wil leave, with manypossessions. |
15 Tu autem ibis ad patres tuos in pace, sepultus in senectute bona. | 15 For your part, you wil join your ancestors in peace; you wil be buried at a happy old age. |
16 Generatione autem quarta revertentur huc; necdum enim completae sunt iniquitates Amorraeorum usque ad praesens tempus”.
| 16 In the fourth generation they wil come back here, for until then the iniquity of the Amorites wil nothave reached its ful extent.' |
17 Cum ergo occubuisset sol, facta est caligo tenebrosa, et apparuit clibanus fumans et lampas ignis transiens inter divisiones illas.
| 17 When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passingbetween the animals' pieces. |
18 In illo die pepigit Dominus cum Abram foedus dicens: “Semini tuo dabo terram hanc a fluvio Aegypti usque ad magnum fluvium Euphraten, | 18 That day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram in these terms: 'To your descendants I give thiscountry, from the River of Egypt to the Great River, the River Euphrates, |
19 Cinaeos et Cenezaeos, Cedmonaeos | 19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, |
20 et Hetthaeos et Pherezaeos, Raphaim quoque | 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, |
21 et Amorraeos et Chananaeos et Gergesaeos et Iebusaeos”.
| 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.' |