In the great land of Babylonia, there was a city that was built and named to honor the moon-god Ur. The people who lived in this city were called Chaldeans. Many people who lived in Ur were wicked and sinful. They did not remember the Lord and the wonderful things He had done for them. They worshipped the things God made, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars. Sometimes they would worship rivers, mountains, and even wooden poles. They even made statues of various images or figures. These statues were called idols. They would then worship these idols as if they were gods. This displeased the Lord very much.

In the city of Ur lived a shepherd named Terah. He had three sons. Their names were Abram, Nahor, and Haran. They would help their father care for their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. As these sons grew up, they all were married. Unfortunately, when Haran was still young, he died, leaving a son named Lot. Terah began to worship the idols of the Chaldeans, and in particular, the moon-god. However, Abram did not worship the moon-god or any other idols, but loved and served the one true God.

Because of the wickedness of the people in the land of Ur of Chaldees, Terah took his sons, Abram and Nahor, and their wives, and his grandson Lot, and left the land. They took with them all of their belongings and their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. Together, they journeyed many days up the mighty Euphrates River until they came to a place that they called Haran. Here they made their home. While living in Haran, Terah died. He was 205 years old when he died.

One day, Abram heard the Lord calling him. God said, "Leave this country, your relatives, and your father's house. Go to a land that I will show you. I will bless you, and all the people on earth will be blessed through you."

Abram placed his trust in God and obeyed the Lord's command. Leaving his brother Nahor and Nahor's family in Haran, Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and their servants, and began the long journey to a strange land. Driving their flocks and herds before them, they turned away from the mighty Euphrates River and journeyed southwest toward the land of Canaan. Along the path that they followed, there were rugged mountains on one side, while on the other side was the hot barren desert that stretched as far as they could see. On and on they traveled - across rivers, through valleys, over hills - each day coming closer to the land God had promised.

Abram and his household traveled until they reached the sacred tree of Moreh in the land of Canaan. Here at Moreh, the Lord appeared to Abram. At this time, God gave Abram a promise. He said, "This is the land I will give to you and your children." On the place where the Lord appeared, Abram built an altar and worshipped God.

The land of Canaan was a beautiful place with many lush and fertile valleys. The people who lived in this land were called Canaanites. There were also many cities in this land. However, Abram did not live in the Canaanite cities. Instead, he pitched his tents throughout the land in whatever place he could find good pasture for his sheep and cattle. As Abram's flocks and herds grew larger and larger, he became very wealthy.

Abram lived in Canaan until a terrible famine came upon the land. The famine was very severe. All of the water wells dried up, and the green grass in the pastureland turned brown and died. Because of this famine, Abram packed up his belongings and moved to Egypt.

As Abram neared the border of Egypt, he became worried. His wife, Sarai, was a very beautiful woman. Abram was afraid that when the Egyptians saw Sarai's beauty, they would kill him so that they could marry her. So, Abram told Sarai to tell them that she was his sister. This was not a lie because she and Abraham had the same father, but different mothers.

After Abram and Sarai arrived in Egypt, all of the men spoke of Sarai's beauty, just as Abram feared. When the palace officials saw Sarai, she was taken into the palace harem. Pharaoh gave many rich gifts of sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels to Abram.

God was watching over Sarai. In order to protect her, the Lord sent a plague upon Pharaoh and his entire household. When Pharaoh learned that Sarai was Abram's wife, he sent for Abram at once. Pharaoh demanded, "Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife? Now, take your wife and leave Egypt." Then, Pharaoh sent Abram, Sarai, and all their belongings out of the country under an armed escort of Egyptian soldiers.