GenesisChapter 14

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¹At that time Amraphel was king of Shinar. Arioch was king of Ellasar. Chedorlaomer was king of Elam. And Tidal was king of Goiim. ²These kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. Bela is also called Zoar. ³These five kings joined together in the Valley of Siddim. That is the Salt Sea.a ⁴For twelve years they had been ruled by Chedorlaomer. But in the thirteenth year they turned against him. ⁵In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings with him came out. They defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim. They defeated the Zuzites in Ham and the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim. ⁶They also defeated the Horites in the hills of Seir. They went as far as El-paran, near the desert. ⁷Then they turned back and attacked En-mishpat, which is Kadesh. They took over all the land of the Amalekites. They also beat the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar. ⁸Then the king of Sodom marched out. So did the kings of Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela, which is Zoar. They lined up for battle in the Valley of Siddim. ⁹They fought against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. It was four kings against five. ¹⁰The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away. Some of their men fell into the pits. The rest ran away to the hills. ¹¹The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. They took all their food too. Then they left. ¹²They also took Abram's nephew Lot and everything he owned. Lot was living in Sodom. ¹³A man who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. Abram was living near the oak trees of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre was a brother of Eshcol and Aner. They had all made a treaty with Abram. ¹⁴Abram heard that his relative had been captured. So he called out 318 trained men who were born in his household. They chased the enemy as far as Dan. ¹⁵During the night, Abram split up his men to attack. They beat Chedorlaomer's army. They chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶Abram brought back all the goods. He also brought back his relative Lot and Lot's goods. He brought back the women and the other people too. ¹⁷Abram came back from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings with him. Then the king of Sodom went out to meet him. They met in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the King's Valley. ¹⁸Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine, since he was a priest of God Most High. ¹⁹He blessed Abram. He said,
"May Abram be blessed by God Most High,
the Maker of heaven and earth. ²⁰And blessed be God Most High,
who has handed your enemies over to you."
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. ²¹The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people. But keep the goods for yourself." ²²But Abram answered the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand and made a promise to the LORD God Most High. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. ²³I promised that I will not take anything that belongs to you. I won't even take a thread or a sandal strap. That way you can never say, 'I made Abram rich.' ²⁴I will take nothing except what my men have eaten. But give a share to the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."