1
And it came to pass, in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, and Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of nations, that these kings made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela;
2
All these, even Bera, Birsha, Shinab, Shemeber, and the king of Bela were joined together, united in a secret oath of priestcrafta, in the valley of Siddim, which is at the salt sea;
3
For twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year these did rebel against him.
4
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashtoreth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto Elparan, which was by the wilderness.
5
And they returned and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites in Hazezontamar.
6
¶ And from there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela;
7
And these joined battle with them in the valley of Siddim; with Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
8
And the valley of Siddim was filled with slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there; but they that remained fled to the hill country, and to the mountains.
9
And it came to pass that the four kings did seize all the goods, taking all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and provisions and went their way.
10
And they took Lot, the nephew of Abram, and Advu, Lot’s wife, for they did dwell in Sodom; and they took them and their goods and departed.
11
¶ And there came one that had escaped and told Abram, the Hebrew, the man of YHVHa; for he dwelt in the land of the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eschol and brother of Aner; and these were bound by a treaty with Abram.
12
And when Abram heard that Lot and Advu and their people were taken captive, he armed three hundred and eighteen of his trained men, and all these were born in his own house, and pursued unto Dan.
13
And he came unto them by night, and divided himself against them, he and his men, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which was on the left hand of Damascus.
14
And he brought back Lot, his brother's son, Advu, Lot’s wife, and all their goods, and the women also, and the people.
15
And the king of Sodom also went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which was the dale of the king.
16
And Melchizedek, king of Salema, brought forth bread and wine; and he did brake the bread and blessed it; and he blessed the wine, he being the High Priest of El Elyonb.
17
And he gave to Abram, and he blessed him, saying: Abram, thou art blessed, for thou art a man of El Elyon, possessor of heaven and of earth;
18
And blessed is the name of El Elyon, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand.
19
And thus Abram gave unto Melchizedek in tithes from all he had taken, to care for the poor and the needy in and about the land.
20
And the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons and take the goods to thyself.
21
But Abram said to the king of Sodom: I have lifted up my hand unto YHVH, the El Elyon, the Creatora: the possessor of heaven and earth,
22
And I have sworn an oath that I will not take of thee from a thread even to a shoe latchet and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say: I have made Abram rich,
23
Yea, I shall take of thee nothing, save only that which the young men have eaten; but unto the men which went with me, Aner, Eschol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
24
¶ And it came to pass that Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram, he being the High Priest and the keeper of the storehouse of Yaha, appointed to receive tithes for the poor.
25
¶ And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the chief captain of his host, spake unto Abram, saying: Ha'Elohima is with thee in all that thou doest!
26
Now, therefore, swear unto me here that, by the help of El Elyon, thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son; but that, according to the kindness that I have shown unto thee, thou shalt do unto me and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
27
And Abram said unto him: I will swear.
28
And then Abram reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which the servants of Abimelech had violently taken away.
29
And Abimelech said: Thou didst not tell me; and I know not who hath done this thing; neither yet have I heard that it was done until this day.
30
And Abram took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
31
And Abram set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
32
And Abimelech said unto Abram: What wilt thou do with these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
33
And he said: Seven ewe lambs shalt thou take at my hand, that they may be a witness unto me that I have digged this well.
34
And because we shall swear, both of us, wherefore the name of that place will be Bearsheba;
35
And thus they made a covenant.
36
Then Abimelech and Phicol, the chief captain of his hosts, rose up, and he sent men to plant a grove in Bearsheba, and to call there on the name of YHVH; and then to returned unto their lands.
37
And it came to pass that Abram did worship El’olama.