Genesis 12

Genesis 12:1

Now

This word is used to mark a new part of the story.

Go from your country, and from your relatives

"Go from your land, from your family"

Genesis 12:2

I will make of you a great nation

"I will start a great nation through you" or "I will make your descendants become a great nation"

make your name great

"make you famous"

you will be a blessing

"you will be a blessing to other people"

Genesis 12:3

whoever dishonors you I will curse

"I will curse whoever treats you in a shameful way" or "if anyone treats you as worthless, I will curse him"

Through you will all the families of the earth be blessed

"I will bless all the families of the earth through you"

Through you

"Because of you" or "Because I have blessed you"

Genesis 12:5

possessions

This includes animals and non-living property.

the people that they had acquired

Possible meanings are 1) "slaves that they had accumulated" or 2) "the people whom they had gathered to be with them."

Genesis 12:6

Abram passed through the land

"So Abram and his family went through the land of Canaan"

the oak of Moreh

Moreh was probably the name of a place.

Genesis 12:8

he pitched his tent

"they set up their tents"

called on the name of Yahweh

"prayed in the name of Yahweh" or "worshiped Yahweh"

Genesis 12:9

toward the Negev

"toward the Negev region" or "toward the south" or "south to the Negev desert"

Genesis 12:10

There was a famine

"There was a shortage of food"

in the land

"in the area" or "in the land where Abram was living"

went down into

Possible meanings are 1) "went further south" or 2) "went away from Canaan into." It would be best to translate this using your usual words for going from a higher place to a lower place.

Genesis 12:11

See now, I

The phrase "See now" indicates that what follows is a polite request for the hearer to pay attention. "Please listen carefully: I"

Genesis 12:12

they will kill me ... you alive

"they will kill me so that they can marry you"

Genesis 12:13

so that my life will be spared because of you

"so that, because of you, they will not kill me"

Genesis 12:14

It came about that

Possible meanings are 1) This phrase is used here to mark where the action starts, and if your language has a way for doing this, you could consider using it here, or 2) "And that was what happened" .

Genesis 12:15

The princes of Pharaoh saw her

"Pharaoh's officials saw Sarai" or "the king's officials saw her"

the woman was taken into Pharaoh's household

"Pharaoh took her into his household" or "Pharaoh had his soldiers take her into his household"

the woman

Sarai

Pharaoh's household

Possible meanings are 1) "Pharoah's family," that is, as a wife, or 2) "Pharaoah's house" or "Pharaoh's palace,"

Genesis 12:16

for her sake

"for Sarai's sake" or "because of her"

Genesis 12:17

because of Sarai, Abram's wife

"because Pharaoh intended to take Sarai, Abram's wife, to be his own wife"

Genesis 12:18

Pharaoh summoned Abram

"Pharaoh called Abram" or "Pharaoh ordered Abram to come to him"

What is this that you have done to me?

"You have done a terrible thing to me!"

Genesis 12:20

Then Pharaoh gave orders to his men concerning him

"Then Pharaoh directed his officials concerning Abram"

they sent him away, along with his wife and all that he had

"the officials sent Abram away from Pharoah, with his wife and all his possessions"