Genesis 12

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Genesis 12

1And the Lord said to Abram, Go forth out of your land and out of your kindred, and out of the house of your father, and come into the land which I will show you.Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος τῷ Ἅβραμ, ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ δεῦρο εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω.

2And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you shall be blessed.Καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα, καὶ εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ μεγαλυνῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου, καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογημένος.

3And I will bless those that bless you, and curse those that curse you, and in you shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed.Καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε, καὶ τοὺς καταρωμένους σε καταράσομαι, καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς.

4And Abram went as the Lord spoke to him, and Lot departed with him, and Abram was seventy-five years old, when he went out of Charrhan.Καὶ ἐπορεύθη Ἅβραμ, καθάπερ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ Κύριος, καὶ ᾤχετο μετʼ αὐτοῦ Λώτ· Ἅβραμ δὲ ἦν ἐτῶν ἑβδομηκονταπέντε, ὅτε ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ Χαῤῥάν.

5And Abram took Sara his wife, and Lot the son of his brother, and all their possessions, as many as they had got, and every soul which they had got in Charrhan, and they went forth to go into the land of Chanaan. *Καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἅβραμ Σάραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν Λὼτ υἱὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῶν ὅσα ἐκτήσαντο, καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἣν ἐκτήσαντο, ἐκ Χαῤῥάν, καὶ ἐξήλθοσαν πορευθῆναι εἰς γῆν Χανάαν.

6And Abram traversed the land lengthwise as far as the place Sychem, to the high oak, and the Chananites then inhabited the land.Καὶ διώδευσεν Ἅβραμ τὴν γῆν εἰς τὸ μῆκος αὐτῆς ἕως τοῦ τόπου Συχέμ, ἐπὶ τὴν δρῦν τὴν ὑψηλήν· οἱ δὲ Χαναναῖοι τότε κατῴκουν τὴν γῆν.

7And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, I will give this land to your seed. And Abram built an altar there to the Lord who appeared to him.Καὶ ὤφθη Κύριος τῷ Ἅβραμ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, τῷ σπέρματί σου δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην· καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ Ἅβραμ θυσιαστήριον Κυρίῳ τῷ ὀφθέντι αὐτῷ.

8And he departed thence to the mountain eastward of Baethel, and there he pitched his tent in Baethel near the sea, and Aggai toward the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord, and called on the name of the Lord.Καὶ ἀπέστη ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος κατὰ ἀνατολὰς Βαιθήλ· καὶ ἔστησεν ἐκεῖ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν Βαιθὴλ κατὰ θάλασσαν, καὶ Ἀγγαὶ κατὰ ἀνατολάς· καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ θυσιαστήριον τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου.

9And Abram departed and went and encamped in the wilderness.Καὶ ἀπῇρεν Ἅβραμ, καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

10And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, because the famine prevailed in the land.Καὶ ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ κατέβη Ἅβραμ εἰς Αἴγυπτον παροικῆσαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσεν ὁ λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

11And it came to pass when Abram drew near to enter into Egypt, Abram said to Sara his wife, I know that you are a fair woman.Ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἤγγισεν Ἅβραμ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, εἶπεν Ἅβραμ Σάρα τῇ γυναικὶ, γινώσκω ἐγὼ, ὅτι γυνὴ εὐπρόσωπος εἶ.

12It shall come to pass then that when the Egyptians shall see you, they shall say, This is his wife, and they shall kill me, but they shall save you alive.Ἔσται οὖν ὡς ἂν ἴδωσί σε οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, ἐροῦσιν ὅτι γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν αὐτὴ, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσί με, σὲ δὲ περιποιήσονται.

13Say, therefore, I am his sister, that it may be well with me on account of you, and my soul shall live because of you.Εἶπον οὖν, ὅτι ἀδελφὴ αὐτοῦ εἰμι, ὅπως ἄν εὖ μοι γένηται διὰ σὲ, καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου ἕνεκέν σου.

14And it came to pass when Abram entered into Egypt—the Egyptians having seen his wife that she was very beautiful—Ἐγένετο δὲ, ἡνίκα εἰσῆλθεν Ἅβραμ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἰδόντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι καλὴ ἦν σφόδρα.

15that the princes of Pharao saw her, and praised her to Pharao and brought her into the house of Pharao.Καὶ ἴδον αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες Φαραὼ, καὶ ἐπῄνεσαν αὐτὴν πρὸς Φαραὼ, καὶ εἰσήγαγον αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν οἶκον Φαραώ.

16And they treated Abram well on her account, and he had sheep, and calves, and asses, and menservants, and women-servants, and mules, and camels.Καὶ τῷ Ἅβραμ εὖ ἐχρήσαντο διʼ αὐτήν· καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτῷ πρόβατα, καὶ μόσχοι, καὶ ὄνοι, καὶ παῖδες, καὶ παιδίσκαι, καὶ ἡμίονοι, καὶ κάμηλοι.

17And God afflicted Pharao with great and severe afflictions, and his house, because of Sara, Abram's wife.Καὶ ἤτασεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Φαραὼ ἐτασμοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ πονηροῖς, καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, περὶ Σάρας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἅβραμ.

18And Pharao having called Abram, said, What is this you have done to me, that you did not tell me that she was your wife?Καλέσας δὲ Φαραὼ τὸν Ἅβραμ, εἶπεν, τί τοῦτο ἐποίησάς μοι, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι, ὅτι γυνή σου ἐστίν;

19Therefore did you say, She is my sister? and I took her for a wife to myself; and now, behold, your wife is before you, take her and go quickly away.Ἱνατί εἶπας ὅτι ἀδελφή μου ἐστίν; καὶ ἔλαβον αὐτὴν ἐμαυτῷ γυναῖκα· καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἡ γυνή σου ἔναντί σου, λαβὼν ἀπότρεχε.

20And Pharao gave charge to men concerning Abram, to join in sending him forward, and his wife, and all that he had. †Καὶ ἐνετείλατο Φαραὼ ἀνδράσι περὶ Ἅβραμ συμπροπέμψαι αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἦν αὐτῷ.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 5*Alex. + and came into the land of Chanaan. So the Heb.
• v. 20†Alex. + and Lot with him.

The Fathers on Genesis 12

Julius Africanus comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Genesis 12

Julius Africanus

Ante-Nicene Fathers · Third century · Fragments of the Chronography

Part VII. VII. In the year of the world 3277, Abraham entered the promised land of Canaan. Of Abraham. VIII. Of Abraham. From this rises the appellation of the Hebrews. For the word Hebrews is interpreted to mean 132those who migrate across, viz., who crossed the Euphrates with Abraham; and it is not derived, as some think, from the fore-mentioned Heber.…

Read Fragments of the Chronography →