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Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-26 (Contemporary English Version)

Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Genesis 13-15 Listen to this passage View commentary related to this passage Genesis 13 Abram and Lot Separate ¹Abram and Sarai took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them. ²Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold. ³Abram moved from place to place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents between Bethel and Ai, ⁴where he had earlier camped and built an altar. There he worshiped the LORD. ⁵Lot, who was traveling with him, also had sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as his own family and slaves. ^6-7At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the same area, and so there wasn't enough pastureland left for Abram and Lot with all of their animals. Besides this, the men who took care of Abram's animals and the ones who took care of Lot's animals started quarreling. ⁸Abram said to Lot, "We are close relatives. We shouldn't argue, and our men shouldn't be fighting one another. ⁹There is plenty of land for you to choose from. Let's separate. If you go north, I'll go south; if you go south, I'll go north." ¹⁰This happened before the LORD had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when Lot looked around, he saw there was plenty of water in the Jordan Valley. All the way to Zoar the valley was as green as the garden of the LORD or the land of Egypt. ¹¹So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself, and as he started toward the east, he and Abram separated. ¹²Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. But Lot settled near the cities of the valley and put up his tents not far from Sodom, ¹³where the people were evil and sinned terribly against the LORD. Abram Moves to Hebron ¹⁴After Abram and Lot had gone their separate ways, the LORD said to Abram: Look around to the north, south, east, and west. ¹⁵I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever! ¹⁶I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants. ¹⁷Now walk back and forth across the land, because I am giving it to you. ¹⁸Abram took down his tents and went to live near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar in honor of the LORD. Genesis 14 Abram Rescues Lot ¹About this time, King Amraphel of Babylonia, ^[a] King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim ²attacked King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, also known as the city of Zoar. ^3-4King Chedorlaomer and his allies had ruled these last five kings for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year the kings rebelled and came together in Siddim Valley, which is now covered by the southern part of the Dead Sea. ⁵A year later King Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh-Kiriathaim. ⁶They also defeated the Horites in the hill country of Edom, ^[b] as far as El-Paran, near the desert. ⁷They went back to the city of Enmishpat, better known as Kadesh. Then they captured all the land that belonged to the Amalekites, and they defeated the Amorites who were living in Hazazon-Tamar. ^8-9At Siddim Valley, the armies of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela fought the armies of King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar. The valley ¹⁰was full of tar pits, and when the troops from Sodom and Gomorrah started running away, some of them fell into the pits. Others escaped to the hill country. ¹¹Their enemies took everything of value from Sodom and Gomorrah, including their food supplies. ¹²They also captured Abram's nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom. They took him and his possessions and then left. ¹³At this time Abram the Hebrew was living near the oaks that belonged to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his brothers Eshcol and Aner were Abram's friends. Someone who had escaped from the battle told Abram ¹⁴that his nephew Lot had been taken away. Three hundred eighteen of Abram's servants were fighting men, so he took them and followed the enemy as far north as the city of Dan. ¹⁵That night, Abram divided up his troops, attacked from all sides, and won a great victory. But some of the enemy escaped to the town of Hobah north of Damascus, ¹⁶and Abram went after them. He brought back his nephew Lot, together with Lot's possessions and the women and everyone else who had been captured. Abram Is Blessed by Melchizedek ¹⁷Abram returned after he had defeated King Chedorlaomer and the other kings. Then the king of Sodom went to meet Abram in Shaveh Valley, which is also known as King's Valley. ¹⁸King Melchizedek of Salem was a priest of God Most High. He brought out some bread and wine ¹⁹and said to Abram: "I bless you in the name of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. ²⁰All praise belongs to God Most High for helping you defeat your enemies." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. ²¹The king of Sodom said to Abram, "All I want are my people. You can keep everything else." ²²Abram answered: The LORD God Most High made the heavens and the earth. And I have promised him ²³that I won't keep anything of yours, not even a sandal strap or a piece of thread. Then you can never say that you are the one who made me rich. ²⁴Let my share be the food that my men have eaten. But Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre went with me, so give them their share of what we brought back. Genesis 15 The LORD's Promise to Abram ¹Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, "Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly." ²But Abram answered, "LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. ^[c] ³You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything." ⁴The LORD replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his." ⁵Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have." ⁶Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD was pleased with him. The LORD Makes Another Promise to Abram ⁷The LORD said to Abram, "I brought you here from Ur in Chaldea, and I gave you this land." ⁸Abram asked, "LORD God, how can I know the land will be mine?" ⁹Then the LORD told him, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon." ¹⁰Abram obeyed the LORD. Then he cut ^[d] the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half. ¹¹And when birds came down to eat the animals, Abram chased them away. ¹²As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening. ^13-15Then the LORD said: Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace. But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for four hundred years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions. ¹⁶Four generations later, ^[e] your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here ^[f] be so sinful that they deserve to be punished. ¹⁷Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot ^[g] and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal. ¹⁸At that time the LORD made an agreement with Abram and told him: I will give your descendants the land east of the Shihor River ^[h] on the border of Egypt as far as the Euphrates River. ¹⁹They will possess the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, ²¹the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. Footnotes: Genesis 14:1 Babylonia: See the note at 10.6-20. Genesis 14:6 Edom: The Hebrew text has "Seir," another name for Edom. Genesis 15:2 And. . . own: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Genesis 15:10 cut: In Hebrew "cut" sounds something like "agreement." What follows shows that the LORD is making an agreement with Abram. Genesis 15:16 Four generations later: This may refer to the "four hundred years" of verses 13-15. Genesis 15:16 people who live here: The Hebrew text has "Amorites," a name sometimes used of the people who lived in Palestine before the Israelites. Genesis 15:17 smoking cooking pot: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. The smoke and fire represent the presence of the LORD. Genesis 15:18 Shihor River: See Joshua 13.2-7. Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
Matthew 5:1-26 Listen to this passage View commentary related to this passage Matthew 5 The Sermon on the Mount ¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. ^[a] Jesus' disciples gathered around him, Blessings (Luke 6.20-23) ²and he taught them: ³God blesses those people who depend only on him. They belong to the kingdom of heaven! ^[b] ⁴God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort! ⁵God blesses those people who are humble. The earth will belong to them! ⁶God blesses those people who want to obey him ^[c] more than to eat or drink. They will be given what they want! ⁷God blesses those people who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy! ⁸God blesses those people whose hearts are pure. They will see him! ⁹God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children! ¹⁰God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the kingdom of heaven. ^[d] ¹¹God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. ¹²Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago. Salt and Light (Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35) ¹³You are like salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on. ¹⁴You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, ¹⁵and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven. The Law of Moses ¹⁷Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. ^[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. ¹⁸Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen. ¹⁹If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. ²⁰You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. Anger ²¹You know that our ancestors were told, "Do not murder" and "A murderer must be brought to trial." ²²But I promise you that if you are angry with someone, ^[f] you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. ²³So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God. ²⁵Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. ²⁶I promise you that you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe. Footnotes: Matthew 5:1 sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught. Matthew 5:3 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or "The kingdom of heaven belongs to them." Matthew 5:6 who want to obey him: Or "who want to do right" or "who want everyone to be treated right." Matthew 5:10 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3. Matthew 5:17 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament. Matthew 5:22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has "brother," which may refer to people in general or to other followers. Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Genesis 13-15

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Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate

¹Abram and Sarai took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them.

²Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold. ³Abram moved from place to place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents between Bethel and Ai, ⁴where he had earlier camped and built an altar. There he worshiped the LORD.

⁵Lot, who was traveling with him, also had sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as his own family and slaves. ^6-7At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the same area, and so there wasn't enough pastureland left for Abram and Lot with all of their animals. Besides this, the men who took care of Abram's animals and the ones who took care of Lot's animals started quarreling.

⁸Abram said to Lot, "We are close relatives. We shouldn't argue, and our men shouldn't be fighting one another. ⁹There is plenty of land for you to choose from. Let's separate. If you go north, I'll go south; if you go south, I'll go north."

¹⁰This happened before the LORD had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when Lot looked around, he saw there was plenty of water in the Jordan Valley. All the way to Zoar the valley was as green as the garden of the LORD or the land of Egypt. ¹¹So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself, and as he started toward the east, he and Abram separated. ¹²Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. But Lot settled near the cities of the valley and put up his tents not far from Sodom, ¹³where the people were evil and sinned terribly against the LORD.

Abram Moves to Hebron

¹⁴After Abram and Lot had gone their separate ways, the LORD said to Abram:

Look around to the north, south, east, and west. ¹⁵I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever! ¹⁶I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants. ¹⁷Now walk back and forth across the land, because I am giving it to you.

¹⁸Abram took down his tents and went to live near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar in honor of the LORD.

Genesis 14

Abram Rescues Lot

¹About this time, King Amraphel of Babylonia, ^[a] King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim ²attacked King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, also known as the city of Zoar. ^3-4King Chedorlaomer and his allies had ruled these last five kings for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year the kings rebelled and came together in Siddim Valley, which is now covered by the southern part of the Dead Sea. ⁵A year later King Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh-Kiriathaim. ⁶They also defeated the Horites in the hill country of Edom, ^[b] as far as El-Paran, near the desert. ⁷They went back to the city of Enmishpat, better known as Kadesh. Then they captured all the land that belonged to the Amalekites, and they defeated the Amorites who were living in Hazazon-Tamar.

^8-9At Siddim Valley, the armies of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela fought the armies of King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar. The valley ¹⁰was full of tar pits, and when the troops from Sodom and Gomorrah started running away, some of them fell into the pits. Others escaped to the hill country. ¹¹Their enemies took everything of value from Sodom and Gomorrah, including their food supplies. ¹²They also captured Abram's nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom. They took him and his possessions and then left.

¹³At this time Abram the Hebrew was living near the oaks that belonged to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his brothers Eshcol and Aner were Abram's friends. Someone who had escaped from the battle told Abram ¹⁴that his nephew Lot had been taken away. Three hundred eighteen of Abram's servants were fighting men, so he took them and followed the enemy as far north as the city of Dan.

¹⁵That night, Abram divided up his troops, attacked from all sides, and won a great victory. But some of the enemy escaped to the town of Hobah north of Damascus, ¹⁶and Abram went after them. He brought back his nephew Lot, together with Lot's possessions and the women and everyone else who had been captured.

Abram Is Blessed by Melchizedek

¹⁷Abram returned after he had defeated King Chedorlaomer and the other kings. Then the king of Sodom went to meet Abram in Shaveh Valley, which is also known as King's Valley.

¹⁸King Melchizedek of Salem was a priest of God Most High. He brought out some bread and wine ¹⁹and said to Abram:

"I bless you in the name

of God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

²⁰All praise belongs

to God Most High

for helping you defeat

your enemies."

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

²¹The king of Sodom said to Abram, "All I want are my people. You can keep everything else."

²²Abram answered:

The LORD God Most High made the heavens and the earth. And I have promised him ²³that I won't keep anything of yours, not even a sandal strap or a piece of thread. Then you can never say that you are the one who made me rich. ²⁴Let my share be the food that my men have eaten. But Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre went with me, so give them their share of what we brought back.

Genesis 15

The LORD's Promise to Abram

¹Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, "Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly."

²But Abram answered, "LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. ^[c] ³You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything." ⁴The LORD replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his." ⁵Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have." ⁶Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD was pleased with him.

The LORD Makes Another Promise to Abram

⁷The LORD said to Abram, "I brought you here from Ur in Chaldea, and I gave you this land."

⁸Abram asked, "LORD God, how can I know the land will be mine?"

⁹Then the LORD told him, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon."

¹⁰Abram obeyed the LORD. Then he cut ^[d] the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half. ¹¹And when birds came down to eat the animals, Abram chased them away. ¹²As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening. ^13-15Then the LORD said:

Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace.

But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for four hundred years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions.

¹⁶Four generations later, ^[e] your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here ^[f] be so sinful that they deserve to be punished. ¹⁷Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot ^[g] and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal. ¹⁸At that time the LORD made an agreement with Abram and told him: I will give your descendants the land east of the Shihor River ^[h] on the border of Egypt as far as the Euphrates River. ¹⁹They will possess the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, ²¹the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Footnotes:

Genesis 14:1 Babylonia: See the note at 10.6-20.
Genesis 14:6 Edom: The Hebrew text has "Seir," another name for Edom.
Genesis 15:2 And. . . own: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Genesis 15:10 cut: In Hebrew "cut" sounds something like "agreement." What follows shows that the LORD is making an agreement with Abram.
Genesis 15:16 Four generations later: This may refer to the "four hundred years" of verses 13-15.
Genesis 15:16 people who live here: The Hebrew text has "Amorites," a name sometimes used of the people who lived in Palestine before the Israelites.
Genesis 15:17 smoking cooking pot: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. The smoke and fire represent the presence of the LORD.
Genesis 15:18 Shihor River: See Joshua 13.2-7.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Matthew 5:1-26

Listen to this passage
View commentary related to this passage

Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. ^[a] Jesus' disciples gathered around him,

Blessings

(Luke 6.20-23)

²and he taught them:

³God blesses those people

who depend only on him.

They belong to the kingdom

of heaven! ^[b] ⁴God blesses those people

who grieve.

They will find comfort!

⁵God blesses those people

who are humble.

The earth will belong

to them!

⁶God blesses those people

who want to obey him ^[c] more than to eat or drink.

They will be given

what they want!

⁷God blesses those people

who are merciful.

They will be treated

with mercy!

⁸God blesses those people

whose hearts are pure.

They will see him!

⁹God blesses those people

who make peace.

They will be called

his children!

¹⁰God blesses those people

who are treated badly

for doing right.

They belong to the kingdom

of heaven. ^[d] ¹¹God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. ¹²Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.

Salt and Light

(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)

¹³You are like salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.

¹⁴You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, ¹⁵and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

The Law of Moses

¹⁷Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. ^[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. ¹⁸Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen. ¹⁹If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. ²⁰You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

²¹You know that our ancestors were told, "Do not murder" and "A murderer must be brought to trial." ²²But I promise you that if you are angry with someone, ^[f] you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. ²³So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.

²⁵Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. ²⁶I promise you that you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.

Footnotes:

Matthew 5:1 sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught.
Matthew 5:3 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or "The kingdom of heaven belongs to them."
Matthew 5:6 who want to obey him: Or "who want to do right" or "who want everyone to be treated right."
Matthew 5:10 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.
Matthew 5:17 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
Matthew 5:22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has "brother," which may refer to people in general or to other followers.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

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Passage results

Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-26 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate

Abram Moves to Hebron

Genesis 14

Abram Rescues Lot

Abram Is Blessed by Melchizedek

Genesis 15

The LORD's Promise to Abram

The LORD Makes Another Promise to Abram

Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

Blessings

(Luke 6.20-23)

Salt and Light

(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)

The Law of Moses

Anger