1
Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
2
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.
3
You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
4
Then the LORD said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”
5
Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
6
And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.
7
Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”
8
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”
9
The LORD told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10
So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half.
11
Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.