Genesis 14

Lots Captivity and Rescue

1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness.7 Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.8 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 joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasarfour kings against five.10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.12 They also took Lot, Abrams brothers son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the Kings Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

Abram and Melchizedek

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.19 And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all.21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Genesis 15

Gods Covenant with Abram

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.2 But Abram said, Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?3 Then Abram said, Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. 5 Then He brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. And He said to him, So shall your descendants be.6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.7 Then He said to him, I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.8 And he said, Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?9 So He said to him, Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.13 Then He said to Abram: Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Genesis 16

Hagar and Ishmael

1 Now Sarai, Abrams wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.2 So Sarai said to Abram, See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.3 Then Sarai, Abrams wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.5 Then Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.6 So Abram said to Sarai, Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please. And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.7 Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.8 And He said, Hagar, Sarais maid, where have you come from, and where are you going? She said, I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her: Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction.12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every mans hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are- the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, Have I also here seen Him who sees me?14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.