14
Abram Rescues Lot
1And it happened that in the days of Amraphel, the king of Shinar, Arioch, the king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and Tidal, the king of Goiim, 2made war with Bera, the king of Sodom, and Birsha, the king of Gomorrah, Shinab, the king of Admah, and Shemeber, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3All these joined forces at the valley of Siddim (that is, the sea of the salt). 4Twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5In the fourteenth year Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-Kiriathaim, 6And the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El-Paran, which is at the wilderness. 7Then#Or “And” they turned back and came to En-Mishpat (that is, Kadesh). And they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were living in Hazazon-Tamar. 8Then#Or “And” the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they took up battle position#Literally “And they took up position with them for battle” in the Valley of Siddim 9with Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 10Now#Or “And” the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits.#Literally “pits, pits of tar” And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell into them,#Literally “they fell there” but the rest fled to the mountains. 11So#Or “And” they#In context, the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and they left. 12And they#In context, the enemy took Lot, the son of the brother of Abram, and his possessions, and left. (Now he had been living in Sodom.) 13Then#Or “And” one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. And he was living at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. They were allies with Abram.#Literally “And they were owners of a covenant of Abram” 14When#Or “And” Abram heard that his relative#Literally “brother” was taken captive, he summoned his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and he went in pursuit up to Dan. 15And he divided his trained men against them at night, he and his servants. And he defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16And he brought back all the possessions. And he also brought back Lot, his relative,#Literally “brother” and his possessions, and the women and the people as well.
Abram Meets Melchizedek
17After his return from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the Valley of the King). 18And Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. (He was the priest of God Most High). 19And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Maker of heaven and earth.
20And blessed be God Most High
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he#That is, Abram gave to him a tenth of everything. 21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but the possessions take for yourself.” 22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, 23that neither a thread nor#Literally “that not from a thread and up to” a thong of a sandal would I take from all that belongs to you, that you might not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24Nothing besides what#Literally “besides me only which” the servants have eaten and the share of the men who went out with me will I take. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”