Genesis 14

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

1 At that timet Amraphel king of Shinar,s Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nationst2 went to warts against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).s3 These last five kingst joined forcest in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).s4 For twelve yearst they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth yeart they rebelled.s5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeatedt the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim,6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert.s

7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again,t and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
8 Then 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 prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they mett9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations,t Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought againstt five.10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits.ts When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them,t but some survivorst fled to the hills.s11 The four victorious kingst took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left.

12 They also took Abram’s nephewt Lot and his possessions whent they left, for Lott was living in Sodom.t
13 A fugitivet came and told Abram the Hebrew.s Now Abram was living by the oakst of Mamre the Amorite, the brothert of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treatyt with Abram.)t14 When Abram heard that his nephewt had been taken captive, he mobilizedt his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaderst as far as Dan.s15 Then, during the night,t Abramt divided his forcest against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is northt of Damascus.

16 He retrieved all the stolen property.t He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest oft the people.
17 After Abramt returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abramt in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley).s18 Melchizedek king of Salems brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.)ts

19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram byt the Most High God,
Creatort of heaven and earth.t

20 Worthy of praise ist the Most High God,
who delivereds your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedekt a tenth of everything.
21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.”22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my handt to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vowt23 that I will take nothingt belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is It who made Abram rich.’

24 I will take nothingt except compensation for what the young men have eaten.t As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

Genesis 15

The Cutting of the Covenant

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shields and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”ts
2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord,t what will you give me sincet I continue to bet childless, and my heirts ist Eliezer of Damascus?”s

3 Abram added,t “Sincet you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!”t
4 But look,t the word of the Lord came to him: “This mant will not be your heir,t but insteadt a sont who comes from your own body will bet your heir.”t

5 The Lordt took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

6 Abram believedt the Lord, and the Lordt considered his response of faitht as proof of genuine loyalty.ts
7 The Lord saidt to him, “I am the Lords who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeanss to give you this land to possess.”

8 Butt Abramt said, “O sovereign Lord,t by whatt can I know that I am to possess it?”
9 The Lordt said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”10 So Abramt took all these for him and then cut them in twot and placed each half opposite the other,ts but he did not cut the birds in half.

11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep,t and great terror overwhelmed him.t13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certaint that your descendants will be strangerst in a foreign country.t They will be enslaved and oppressedt for four hundred years.14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve.t Afterward they will come out with many possessions.15 But as for you,t you will go to your ancestorss in peace and be buried at a good old age.t

16 In the fourth generations your descendantst will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.”ts
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torchs passed between the animal parts.t18 That day the Lord made a covenantt with Abram: “To your descendants I givets this land, from the river of Egypts to the great river, the Euphrates River –19 the landt of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”t

Genesis 16

The Birth of Ishmael

1 Now Sarai,t Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children,s but she had an Egyptian servantt named Hagar.s

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Sincet the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations withts my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.”t Abram did whatts Sarai told him.
3 So after Abram had livedt in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant,t to her husband to be his wife.s4 He had sexual relations witht Hagar, and she became pregnant.t Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.t

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me!t I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you,t but when she realizedt that she was pregnant, she despised me.t May the Lord judge between you and me!”ts

6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since yourt servant is under your authority,t do to her whatever you think best.”t Then Sarai treated Hagart harshly,t so she ran away from Sarai.t
7 The Lord's angelt found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur.t

8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away fromt my mistress, Sarai.”
9 Then the Lord's angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submitt to her authority.10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord's angel added,t “so that they will be too numerous to count.”t

11 Then the Lord's angel said to her,
“You are nowt pregnant
and are about to give birtht to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael,s
for the Lord has heard your painful groans.ts

12 He will be a wild donkeys of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone,t
and everyone will be hostile to him.t
He will live away fromt his brothers.”
13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,”t for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!”ts

14 That is why the well was calledt Beer Lahai Roi.s (It is locatedt between Kadesh and Bered.)
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael.ts

16 (Nowt Abram was 86 years oldt when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)t