12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot(A) and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.(B) Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre(C) the Amorite, a brother[a] of Eshkol(D) and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative(E) had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained(F) men born in his household(G) and went in pursuit as far as Dan.(H) 15 During the night Abram divided his men(I) to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.(J) 16 He recovered(K) all the goods(L) and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

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

18 Then Melchizedek(P) king of Salem(Q) brought out bread(R) and wine.(S) He was priest of God Most High,(T) 19 and he blessed Abram,(U) saying,

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

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

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

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom,(AB) “With raised hand(AC) I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High,(AD) Creator of heaven and earth,(AE) 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you,(AF) 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.(AG) Let them have their share.”

The Lord’s Covenant With Abram

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

“Do not be afraid,(AJ) Abram.
    I am your shield,[b](AK)
    your very great reward.[c](AL)

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,(AM) what can you give me since I remain childless(AN) and the one who will inherit[d] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?(AO) And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant(AP) in my household(AQ) 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.(AR) He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars(AS)—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[e] be.”(AT)

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

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

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord,(AY) how can I know(AZ) that I will gain possession of it?”(BA)

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

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

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

17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch(BR) appeared and passed between the pieces.(BS) 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram(BT) and said, “To your descendants I give this land,(BU) from the Wadi[f] of Egypt(BV) to the great river, the Euphrates(BW) 19 the land of the Kenites,(BX) Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites,(BY) Perizzites,(BZ) Rephaites,(CA) 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”(CB)

Footnotes

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

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