Genesis 14

CHAPTER 14

1Forsooth it was done in that time, that Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, and Chedor-laomer, king of Elamites, and Tidal, king of folks,

2began battle against Bera, king of Sodom, and against Birsha, king of Gomorrah, and against Shinab, king of Admah, and against Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and against the king of Bela, that Bela is Zoar.

3All these came together into the valley of wood, which is now the sea of salt.

4For in twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they departed from him.

5Therefore Chedorlaomer came in the fourteenth year, and [the] kings that were with him, and they smited Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and Zuzims with them, and Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

6and Horites in the hills of Seir, till to the field places of Elparan, which is in wilderness.

7And they turned again, and came till to the well of Mishpat; that is Kadesh. And they smited all the country of men of Amalek, and Amorites, that dwelled in Hazazontamar.

8And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, also and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, went out, and [they] dressed battle array against them in the valley of wood,

9that is, against Chedorlaomer, king of Elamites, and Tidal, king of folks or of Goiim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar; four kings against five.

10Forsooth the valley of wood had many pits of pitch, either strong glue; and so the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah turned their backs, and felled down there; and they that were left fled to the hills.

11Soothly they took away all the chattel [or substance] of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all things that pertain[ed] to meat, and went away;

12also and they took away Lot and his chattel [or substance], the son of the brother of Abram, which Lot dwelled in Sodom.

13And, lo! one that escaped, told to Abram the Hebrew, that dwelled in the valley of Mamre of Amorites, [the] brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; for these [had] made covenant of peace with Abram.

14And when Abram had heard this thing, that is, Lot, the son of his brother, was taken, he numbered his born servants made ready, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them till to Dan.

15And when his fellows were separated, he felled on them in the night, and smote them, and pursued them till to Hobah, and Phenice, which is at the left side of Damascus.

16And he brought again all the chattel [or substance], and Lot, the son of his brother, with his chattel [or substance], also women, and the people.

17Soothly the king of Sodom went out into the meeting of him, after that he turned again from [the] slaying of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, in the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king.

18And soothly Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the highest God;

19and he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of [the] high God, that made heaven and earth of nought,

20and blessed be [the] high God, by whom defending, thine enemies be betaken into thine hands. And Abram gave tithes of all things to him.

21Forsooth the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give thou the men to me; take thou other things to thee.

22And Abram answered to him, I raise [up] mine hand to the high Lord God, Lord of heaven and of earth,

23that from the thread of [the] woof till to the lanyard of the hose, I shall not take anything of all things that be thine, lest thou say, I [have] made Abram rich;

24except these things which the young men ate, and the parts of men that came with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; these men shall take their parts.

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Genesis 14

Abram Rescues Lot

1At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar,#14:1 That is, Babylonia; also in verse 9 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim, 2these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley). 4For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim 6and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. 7Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar.

8Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

13A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother#14:13 Or a relative; or an ally of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

17After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

20And praise be to God Most High,

who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”

22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

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