GENESIS 15 - THE BELOVED AND I

Genesis 15

1 After these things the word of YHWH

Came to Abram in vision, "Do

Not fear, Abram. I am your shield,

Your very great reward revealed."



Beloved, I covet Abraham's reward!

I need no wealth nor honour nor the sword.

The shield You are is sword enough and more,

And You Yourself are wealth more than the store.

"Exceeding great" You say, exceeding what?

Exceeding all that's sought and loved, the butt

Of every joke, the touch of art and rhyme,

The taste of wise confection in the time

Of hunger, finest wine before the thirst,

Security of oil, bombs at their worst

That save the world for bright democracy:

Exceeding all of these, and great to see

Is that reward You are. Beloved, I covet

Reward of Abraham, desire and love it.



2 But Abram said "Lord YHWH, what will

You give me, seeing I go still

Without a child, and this the heir

Of my house is Eliezer

Of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said

"Look, You've given me no child, instead

One born in my house is my heir!"

4 And then the word of YHWH was there,

"This one shall not be your heir, but

One from yourself shall claim the pot."



I am a servant born indeed upon

The gallows floor of Your house before dawn.

I am no heir, though Abraham would take

Me for his son and in the taking make

Me heir of all the earth. In pilgrimage

I walk a stranger in the land. No cage

Nor palace guards my steps. My life is free

From such encumbrances as property.

My mothers wandered Africa and more,

From India to the most northern shore

Of Europe, Asia, and America.

There is no land with name of home and awe.

You give, Beloved, a servant no place here

But living in Your heart and being dear.



5 Then He brought him outside the bars,

"Look now toward heaven, and count the stars

If you can count them all." And He

Said to him, "So shall your seed be."

6 And he believed in YHWH, and He

Accounted it to him freely

For righteousness. 7 And then He said

To him, "I'm YHWH, who when you fled

Out of Ur of the Chaldees, brought

You to this land to give to ought."

8 And he said "Lord YHWH, how shall I

Know that I shall inherit it?"

9 So He said to him, "Bring Me by

A three-year heifer that is fit,

A three-year female goat and ram,

A turtledove, and pigeon's dam."

10 Then he brought all of these to Him

And cut them each in two, and trim,

And placed each piece against the other,

But did not cut the birds or smother.

11 And when the vultures came to feed,

Abram drove them away indeed.



Some birds are sweet, both in their song and meat.

Some birds appearing here appear a treat.

But not the vulture. Even Abram drives

Away the vulture. Yet the vulture thrives.

When You, Beloved, set out a table decked

With sweetmeats and sweet wine for the elect,

Do not drive out, like Abraham Your prophet,

The vulture who would choose a morsel off it.

Though I may be an ugly bird and truly

A filthy one, do not treat me unduly

With harshness. I too join the rushing throng

That hears the siren calling of Your song.

I am content, Beloved, to taste what's left

When sweeter birds have fed. Leave none bereft.



12 Now when the sun was going down,

A deep trance fell on Abram's crown.

13 And then He said to Abram, "Know

That certainly your descendants

Will be but strangers where they go,

A land not theirs, make acquaintance

With harsh service and bitter tears,

Afflicted for four hundred years.

14 "Also the nation whom they serve

I will judge, then they shall not swerve,

But come out with possessions great.

15 "Now as for you, you'll not be late

To go to your ancestors' peace,

But shall be buried at great age.

16 "Four generations set the stage

For their return. Iniquity

Of Amorite come before Me

Has not yet filled allotted page."



Three generations, or if sin takes more,

The generations might be stretched to four.

You limit, my Beloved, the stakes of sin

To three or four and then pull the nets in.

The Amorites' iniquity has ceased

Long since, but Abram's progeny's increased.

Let me, too, my Beloved, go down in peace

Like Abraham to some grave and release

My wandering in the world in pilgrimage

From strangers' hearths. At every doorstep here

I find the Kaaba and my heart takes cheer.

The thousand generations of my stage

And line look not to see, how fine my grave

But if its future tenant is a knave.



17 It happened, when the sun went down

And it was dark on field and town,

A smoking oven there appeared,

A burning torch between the seared.

18 On the same day YHWH made a pledge

With Abram, saying "From the edge

Of Egypt's river to the great

One of Euphrates I instate

All this land for inheritance,

19 "The Kenites, and all the expanse

Of Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,

20 "The Hittites, and the Perizzites,

The Rephaim, 21 "the Amorites,

The Canaanites, the Girgashites,

And all the land of Jebusites."



I understand, Beloved, You gave the land

To Abraham's descendants, understand

That they should live between the flowing Nile

And the Euphrates. So it has been while

The Kenite is no more and no one knows

The Kenezzite and Kadmonites in rows

Have disappeared. The Hittites are a find

For archeologists, there is no kind

Of Perizzite or Rephaim, and when

Did Amorite last walk the earth with men?

The Canaanite is gone, the Girgashite

Lies in the grave beside the Jebusite.

You promised land, Beloved, and land's release.
Why did You never promise them world peace?