Parashah 3: Lekh L'kha ·Go Into yourself· 12:1-17:27
12
1 Now Adonai said to Avram [Exalted father], “Leave * your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. † 2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. ‡All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” §
4 So Avram [Exalted father] went out, * as Adonai had told him. Lot [Veil, Covering] went with him. Avram [Exalted father] was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran [Mountaineer]. 5 Avram [Exalted father] took Sarai [Mockery] his wife, Lot [Veil, Covering] his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran [Mountaineer], and they went to go into the land of Canaan [Humbled]. They entered into the land of Canaan [Humbled]. 6 Avram [Exalted father] passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites [Descendants of Humbled] were in the land, then.
7 Adonai appeared to Avram [Exalted father] and said, “I will give this land †to your seed.” ‡
He built an altar there to Adonai, who had appeared to him. 8 He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Beth-el [House of God] and pitched his tent, having Beth-el [House of God] on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Adonai and called on Adonai’s name. 9 Avram [Exalted father] traveled, still going on toward the South.
10 There was a famine in the land. Avram [Exalted father] went down into Egypt [Abode of slavery] to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he had come near to enter Egypt [Abode of slavery], he said to Sarai [Mockery] his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12 It will happen, when the Egyptians [people from Abode of slavery] see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive. 13 Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”
(2) 14 When Avram [Exalted father] had come into Egypt [Abode of slavery], Egyptians [people from Abode of slavery] saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 He dealt well with Avram [Exalted father] for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 Adonai afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai [Mockery], Avram [Exalted father]’s wife. 18 Pharaoh called Avram [Exalted father] and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way.”
20 Pharaoh enjoined men concerning him, and they escorted him away with his wife and all that he had.
* 12:1 . Quoted in Heb 11:8 † 12:1 . Quoted in Acts 7:3 ‡ 12:3 . MP: Descendant of Abraham - “By you all the nations of the earth (the Gentiles, non-Jews) will be blessed.” (Luke 24:47; Gal 3:16) § 12:3 . Quoted in Gal 3:8 * 12:4 . Quoted in Heb 11:8 † 12:7 . MP: The blessing will come “in your seed.” - Seed refers to refers to Messiah, as promised in (Gen 3:15). Seed also identifies him as a descendant of Abraham. This is the blessing, to restore right relationship with God. (John 1:29b-30; Acts 3:25-26; Rom 4:9; Gal 3:14) ‡ 12:7 . Quoted in Acts 7:5; Rom 4:13, 4:15; Gal 3:16