וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃

The Lord said to Abram: Go you from your land, the geographic location where you were born; and from your birthplace, the place for which you harbor a sense of closeness and belonging; and from your father’s house, and travel to the land, currently unknown to you, that I will show you. You will be told only the general direction you must travel, and you will be informed when you reach your destination.

וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃

You embark on this journey as an individual who is merely the head of a family or tribe. Nevertheless, I assure you that in the place where you are going I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great as you will be renowned, and you shall be a blessing, meaning that people will use you as a paradigm for blessings. When they bless one another, they will say: May you merit to be like Abram.

וַאֲבָֽרֲכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃

I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you I will curse; and all the families of the earth, not only the families of your descendants or your neighbors, shall be blessed in, or through, you. From this point forward, Abram would not live his life for himself alone as a private individual; he would become a symbol and a model for all.

וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אַבְרָ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְאַבְרָ֗ם בֶּן־חָמֵ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּצֵאת֖וֹ מֵחָרָֽן׃

Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him. He set out on his way and left most of his family, who had also initially planned to go to Canaan, behind in Haran. And Lot, the son of his brother Haran, went with him. Abram was five years and seventy years old upon his departure from Haran.

וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְאֶת־ל֣וֹט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כָּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָרָ֑ן וַיֵּצְא֗וּ לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה כְּנָֽעַן׃

Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot, son of his brother, and all their property that they had acquired, and the people that they had acquired in Haran; they departed to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to the land of Canaan. The Torah does not specify the route they took, but it can be assumed that they either traveled through Syria and then along the coast of the Mediterranean, or along the international road that traversed present-day Iraq and Syria to Damascus, and then turned south across the Golan Heights until they crossed over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan via one of several possible crossing points.

וַיַּעֲבֹ֤ר אַבְרָם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ עַ֚ד מְק֣וֹם שְׁכֶ֔ם עַ֖ד אֵל֣וֹן מוֹרֶ֑ה וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י אָ֥ז בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

Abram passed through the land to the place of Shekhem, the site where the city of Shekhem would later be built, until the plain [ elon ] of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. This observation, which is important for the continuation of the story, explains that the land to which Abram came was not desolate and empty of inhabitants, as were many regions at the time. Rather, it had been inhabited for many years by the Canaanite people.

וַיֵּרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לְזַ֨רְעֲךָ֔ אֶתֵּ֖ן אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את וַיִּ֤בֶן שָׁם֙ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ לַיהוָ֖ה הַנִּרְאֶ֥ה אֵלָֽיו׃

The Lord appeared to Abram upon his arrival in Canaan, and said: To your descendants I will give this land. Earlier, when Abram was commanded to travel, he had been given a general blessing. At this point, God promised him a specific gift, that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. He built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Abram built the first altar to God after His revelation to him. The altar was to serve as a reminder that God had revealed Himself to Abram in this place.

וַיַּעְתֵּ֨ק מִשָּׁ֜ם הָהָ֗רָה מִקֶּ֛דֶם לְבֵֽית־אֵ֖ל וַיֵּ֣ט אָהֳלֹ֑ה בֵּֽית־אֵ֤ל מִיָּם֙ וְהָעַ֣י מִקֶּ֔דֶם וַיִּֽבֶן־שָׁ֤ם מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַיִּקְרָ֖א בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָֽה׃

He, Abram, then moved from there to the mountains, east of the city of Beit El, and he pitched his tent there. Beit El was to the west of his place of encampment, and Ai to the east. For many years, Abram and his family were primarily nomadic shepherds who lived in tents. It can be assumed that much of the land was uninhabited at the time, leaving large empty areas suitable for grazing. Abram found pasture for his flock between Beit El and Ai. He also built there an altar to the Lord, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

וַיִּסַּ֣ע אַבְרָ֔ם הָל֥וֹךְ וְנָס֖וֹעַ הַנֶּֽגְבָּה׃ (פ)

Abram journeyed, steadily journeying to the Negev. Since he had not been told where to stop, and as he had not yet found a place where he felt sufficiently comfortable, he left Beit El and continued southward.

וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨רֶד אַבְרָ֤ם מִצְרַ֙יְמָה֙ לָג֣וּר שָׁ֔ם כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד הָרָעָ֖ב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

There was famine in the land, due to lack of rainfall, which had a negative impact upon both the produce required for human sustenance and the vegetation used for animal pasture. And therefore, Abram descended to Egypt to reside there temporarily, but not to remain there as a permanent resident; as the famine was severe in the land. Egypt, which is dependent upon the Nile rather than on rainfall, was generally immune from the effects of a famine of this kind.

וַיְהִ֕י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הִקְרִ֖יב לָב֣וֹא מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ הִנֵּה־נָ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֛י אִשָּׁ֥ה יְפַת־מַרְאֶ֖ה אָֽתְּ׃

It was when he, his camp, drew near to come to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife: Behold, I know and have become fully aware now that you are a beautiful woman, and that in addition to your external beauty you also have a strong personality and presence.

וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יִרְא֤וּ אֹתָךְ֙ הַמִּצְרִ֔ים וְאָמְר֖וּ אִשְׁתּ֣וֹ זֹ֑את וְהָרְג֥וּ אֹתִ֖י וְאֹתָ֥ךְ יְחַיּֽוּ׃

It will be, when you come with me to Egypt and the Egyptians see you, they will say: This is his wife. And then they will kill me out of desire for you, and keep you alive. Abram was concerned that he would be attacked, both due to Sarai’s beauty and charming personality, and because of his great wealth.

אִמְרִי־נָ֖א אֲחֹ֣תִי אָ֑תְּ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִֽיטַב־לִ֣י בַעֲבוּרֵ֔ךְ וְחָיְתָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י בִּגְלָלֵֽךְ׃

Please say to the residents of Egypt that you are my sister; so that it may be well with me for your sake; as your brother, no one will have cause to harm me. And my soul shall live because of you.