1Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land I will show you.
2I will raise up a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. You will be a blessing to others.
3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse anyone who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.
4So Abram went, as Yahweh had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
5Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all their possessions they had gathered, and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set out for the land of Canaan and entered it.
6Abram traveled through the land to the area of Shechem, to the oak tree of Moreh. At that time, the Canaanites were living in the land.
7Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abram built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.
8From there, he went to the mountain east of Bethel and set up his tent. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and worshiped Yahweh.
9Abram continued his journey, moving further south.
10There was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there temporarily.
11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Listen, I know you are a very beautiful woman.
12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.
13Please say that you are my sister, so that I will be treated well because of you and my life will be spared.”
14Once Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians noticed that the woman was exceptionally beautiful.
15Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s palace.
16Because of her, Pharaoh treated Abram well. Abram received sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17But Yahweh sent terrible diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
18Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?
19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ leading me to take her as my wife? Now, here is your wife; take her and leave.”
20Pharaoh gave orders to his men concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and everything he owned.