Then the Lord said to Abram,“ You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.

耶和华对亚伯兰说：“你要的确知道，你的后裔必寄居别人的地，又服侍那地的人；那地的人要苦待他们四百年。

耶和华对亚伯兰说：“你要确实知道，你的后裔必寄居在别人的地，服事那地的人；那地的人要虐待他们四百年。

耶和华对亚伯兰说：“你要确实知道，你的后裔必寄居在别人的地，服事那地的人；那地的人要虐待他们四百年。

耶和华对他说：“你要清楚知道，你的后裔必流落异乡，被奴役、虐待四百年。

耶和华对亚伯兰说：“你要确实地知道，你的后裔必在外地寄居，也必服事那地的人，那地的人苦待他们四百年。

耶和华对亚伯兰说：“你要确切知道：你的后裔将在不属于自己的地上寄居，并服事那地的人；那地的人将苦待他们四百年。

耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「你要的確知道，你的後裔必寄居別人的地，又服事那地的人；那地的人要苦待他們四百年。

耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「你要確實知道，你的後裔必寄居在別人的地，服事那地的人；那地的人要虐待他們四百年。

耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「你要確實知道，你的後裔必寄居在別人的地，服事那地的人；那地的人要虐待他們四百年。

耶和華對他說：「你要清楚知道，你的後裔必流落異鄉，被奴役、虐待四百年。

耶和華對亞伯蘭說：“你要確實地知道，你的後裔必在外地寄居，也必服事那地的人，那地的人苦待他們四百年。

永恆主對亞伯蘭說：『你要確實知道：你的後裔必寄居在一個不是自己之地的所在，必服事那地的人，那地的人必苦害他們四百年。

耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「你要確切知道：你的後裔將在不屬於自己的地上寄居，並服事那地的人；那地的人將苦待他們四百年。

耶和華諭之曰、爾當實知、汝裔必旅於異邦、服役良苦、歷四百年、

耶和華曰、爾當知爾苗裔必旅於異邦、服役良苦、歷四百年。

主諭亞伯蘭曰、爾當知爾後裔必旅於異邦、異邦人役之苦之、歷四百年、

Then the Lord said to him,“ Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

Then the Lord said to him,“ You can be sure of what I am about to tell you. For 400 years, your family who comes after you will be strangers in another country. They will become slaves there and will be treated badly.

Then the Lord said to Abram,“ Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.

Then the LORD said to Abram,“ Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.

Then God said to Abram,“ Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

Then He said to Abram:“ Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Then the Lord said to Abram,“ Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years.

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land[ that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Then the LORD said to Abram,“ Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

He said to Abram,“ Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.‘ But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said,‘ and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’

This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.

So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.

The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years.In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land.

“ As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.

These are the names of the sons of Israel( that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family:Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

Treat them like native born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.”“ Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh.“ And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”But Aaron and Moses persisted.“ The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared.“ So let us take a three day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.”Pharaoh replied,“ Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.”That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen:“ Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves!But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out,‘ Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”So the slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people:“ This is what Pharaoh says: I will not provide any more straw for you.Go and get it yourselves. Find it wherever you can. But you must produce just as many bricks as before!”So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt in search of stubble to use as straw.Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard.“ Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!” they demanded.Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge of the work crews.“ Why haven’t you met your quotas either yesterday or today?” they demanded.So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him.“ Please don’t treat your servants like this,” they begged.“ We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand,‘ Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!”But Pharaoh shouted,“ You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying,‘ Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.”The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told,“ You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day.”As they left Pharaoh’s court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them.The foremen said to them,“ May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!”Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested,“ Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me?Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”

So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

“ You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

Then Israel arrived in Egypt; Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies.Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites, and they plotted against the Lord’s servants.

“ You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

“ I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.”He said this when they were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith— for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead— a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.