Abram Inherits Canaan

13 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and aLot with him, bto the 1South. 2 cAbram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey dfrom the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the eplace of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram fcalled on the name of the Lord.

5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now gthe land was not able to 2support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was hstrife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. iThe Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

8 So Abram said to Lot, j“Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 kIs not the whole land before you? Please lseparate from me. mIf you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all nthe plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord odestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) plike the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward qZoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot rdwelt in the cities of the plain and spitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom twere exceedingly wicked and usinful against the Lord.

14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot vhad separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—wnorthward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see xI give to you and yyour 3descendants forever. 16 And zI will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

18 aThen Abram moved his tent, and went and bdwelt by 4the terebinth trees of Mamre, cwhich are in Hebron, and built an daltar there to the Lord.

Lot’s Captivity and Rescue

14 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king aof Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of bElam, and Tidal king of 1nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of cAdmah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, dZoar). 3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim e(that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years fthey 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 gthe Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, hthe Zuzim in Ham, ithe Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 jand 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 kin 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 Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of 2nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of lasphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled mto the mountains. 11 Then they took nall the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram’s obrother’s son pwho dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the qHebrew, for rhe dwelt by 3the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; sand they were allies with Abram. 14 Now twhen Abram heard that uhis brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were vborn in his own house, and went in pursuit was far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants xattacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is 4north of Damascus. 16 So he ybrought 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 zwent out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the aKing’s Valley), bafter his return from 5the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

Abram and Melchizedek

18 Then cMelchizedek king of Salem brought out dbread and wine; he was ethe priest of fGod Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said:

g“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,

hPossessor of heaven and earth;

20 And iblessed be God Most High,

Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

And he jgave him 6a tithe of all.

21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the 7persons, and take the goods for yourself.”

22 But Abram ksaid to the king of Sodom, “I lhave raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, mthe Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that nI 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 rich’—24 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.”