Add parallel Print Page Options

13 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.

And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelled then in the land.

And Abram said unto Lot, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are brethren.

Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah), even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as thou comest unto Zoar.

11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves the one from the other.

12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

14 And the Lord said unto Abram after Lot was separated from him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

15 for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever.

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee.”

18 Then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

14 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,

that these 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, which is Zoar.

All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.

Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

And they returned and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites, who dwelt in Hazezontamar.

And 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 (the same is Zoar), and they joined battle with them in the Vale of Siddim,

against Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and against Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five.

10 And the Vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and those who remained fled to the mountain.

11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals, and went their way.

12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed.

13 And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt on the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram.

14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house (three hundred and eighteen), and pursued them unto Dan.

15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night, and smote them and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also and the people.

17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (which is the King’s Dale) after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings who were with him.

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God.

19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth;

20 and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And he gave him tithes of all.

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for thyself.”

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

23 that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe strap, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,‘I have made Abram rich’”

24 except only that which the young men have eaten and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.”

And Abram said, “Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?”

And Abram said, “Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed; and lo, one born in my house is mine heir.”

And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, “This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own loins shall be thine heir.”

And He brought him forth outdoors and said, “Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if thou be able to number them.” And He said unto him, “So shall thy seed be.”

And he believed in the Lord; and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

And He said unto him, “I am the Lord who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give thee this land to inherit it.”

And he said, “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”

And He said unto him, “Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a shegoat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 And he took unto Him all these, and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another; but the birds divided he not.

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13 And He said unto Abram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

14 And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried at a good old age.

16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

17 And it came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between those pieces.

18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:

19 the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites,

20 and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim,

21 and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Abram and Lot Separate

13 So Abram went up from Egypt(A) to the Negev,(B) with his wife and everything he had, and Lot(C) went with him. Abram had become very wealthy(D) in livestock(E) and in silver and gold.

From the Negev(F) he went from place to place until he came to Bethel,(G) to the place between Bethel and Ai(H) where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar.(I) There Abram called on the name of the Lord.(J)

Now Lot,(K) who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.(L) And quarreling(M) arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites(N) and Perizzites(O) were also living in the land(P) at that time.

So Abram said to Lot,(Q) “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me,(R) or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.(S) Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”(T)

10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain(U) of the Jordan toward Zoar(V) was well watered, like the garden of the Lord,(W) like the land of Egypt.(X) (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom(Y) and Gomorrah.)(Z) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan,(AA) while Lot(AB) lived among the cities of the plain(AC) and pitched his tents near Sodom.(AD) 13 Now the people of Sodom(AE) were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.(AF)

14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.(AG) 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring[a] forever.(AH) 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.(AI) 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land,(AJ) for I am giving it to you.”(AK)

18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre(AL) at Hebron,(AM) where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.(AN)

Abram Rescues Lot

14 At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar,[b](AO) Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer(AP) king of Elam(AQ) and Tidal king of Goyim, these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim,(AR) and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).(AS) All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim(AT) (that is, the Dead Sea Valley(AU)). For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer,(AV) but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

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

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

13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.(BS) Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre(BT) the Amorite, a brother[c] of Eshkol(BU) and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative(BV) had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained(BW) men born in his household(BX) and went in pursuit as far as Dan.(BY) 15 During the night Abram divided his men(BZ) to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.(CA) 16 He recovered(CB) all the goods(CC) and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

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

18 Then Melchizedek(CG) king of Salem(CH) brought out bread(CI) and wine.(CJ) He was priest of God Most High,(CK) 19 and he blessed Abram,(CL) saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,(CM)
    Creator of heaven and earth.(CN)
20 And praise be to God Most High,(CO)
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.(CP)

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

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom,(CS) “With raised hand(CT) I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High,(CU) Creator of heaven and earth,(CV) 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you,(CW) not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I 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.(CX) Let them have their share.”

The Lord’s Covenant With Abram

15 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram(CY) in a vision:(CZ)

“Do not be afraid,(DA) Abram.
    I am your shield,[d](DB)
    your very great reward.[e](DC)

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,(DD) what can you give me since I remain childless(DE) and the one who will inherit[f] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?(DF) And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant(DG) in my household(DH) will be my heir.”

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.(DI) He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars(DJ)—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[g] be.”(DK)

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.(DL)

He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out(DM) of Ur of the Chaldeans(DN) to give you this land to take possession of it.”(DO)

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,(DP) how can I know(DQ) that I will gain possession of it?”(DR)

So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer,(DS) a goat and a ram, each three years old,(DT) along with a dove and a young pigeon.(DU)

10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other;(DV) the birds, however, he did not cut in half.(DW) 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses,(DX) but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,(DY) and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years(DZ) your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved(EA) and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out(EB) with great possessions.(EC) 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors(ED) in peace and be buried at a good old age.(EE) 16 In the fourth generation(EF) your descendants will come back here,(EG) for the sin of the Amorites(EH) has not yet reached its full measure.”

17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch(EI) appeared and passed between the pieces.(EJ) 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram(EK) and said, “To your descendants I give this land,(EL) from the Wadi[h] of Egypt(EM) to the great river, the Euphrates(EN) 19 the land of the Kenites,(EO) Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites,(EP) Perizzites,(EQ) Rephaites,(ER) 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”(ES)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 13:15 Or seed; also in verse 16
  2. Genesis 14:1 That is, Babylonia; also in verse 9
  3. Genesis 14:13 Or a relative; or an ally
  4. Genesis 15:1 Or sovereign
  5. Genesis 15:1 Or shield; / your reward will be very great
  6. Genesis 15:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  7. Genesis 15:5 Or seed
  8. Genesis 15:18 Or river