New International Version NIV
The Message Bible MSG
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
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God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
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I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
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I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."
4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
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So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
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Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
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Abram passed through the country as far as Shechem and the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites occupied the land.
7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
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God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
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He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God.
9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
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Abram kept moving, steadily making his way south, to the Negev.
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
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Then a famine came to the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live; it was a hard famine.
11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.
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As he drew near to Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, "Look. We both know that you're a beautiful woman.
12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.
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When the Egyptians see you they're going to say, 'Aha! That's his wife!' and kill me. But they'll let you live.
13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
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Do me a favor: tell them you're my sister. Because of you, they'll welcome me and let me live."
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.
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When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful.
15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.
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Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.
16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
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Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels.
17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
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But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick.
18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
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Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife?
19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
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Why did you say, 'She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back - take her and get out!"
20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
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Pharaoh ordered his men to get Abram out of the country. They sent him and his wife and everything he owned on their way.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.