Knox Bible

1

It chanced at this time that Amraphel, the king of Sennaar, and Arioch, King of Pontus,✻ and Chodorlahomor, king of Elam, and Thadal, king of the barbarians,

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went out to war. And their enemies were Bara, king of Sodom, Bersa, king of Gomorrha, Sennaab, king of Adama, Semeber, king of Seboim, and the king of Bala (or Segor).

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All these joined their forces in the Valley of the Forests, where the Salt Sea is now;

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they had been tributary to Chodorlahomor for twelve years, and in the following year they had revolted from him.

5

So, in this fourteenth year, Chodorlahomor and the kings allied with him came out to battle. They had defeated the Raphaim, in Astaroth-Carnaim, and the Zuzim in their company;✻ the Emim, too, in Save-Cariathaim,

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and the Horrites in the hills of Seir, right up to the plains of Pharan, out in the desert.

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And now, returning, they had reached the spring of Misphat (or Cades), where they fell upon all the Amalecite country, and the Amorrhites that lived by Asason-Thamar.

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So the kings of Sodom, Gomorrha, Adama, Seboim and Bala (or Segor) came out to meet them, and prepared to do battle with them in the Valley of the Forests.

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Chodorlahomor, king of Elam, and Thadal, king of the barbarians, and Amraphel, king of Sennaar, and Arioch, king of Pontus, these were the four kings those five kings had to meet.

10

The Valley of the Forests contained many pools of asphalt, and among these the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrha were overcome and routed; those who survived took refuge in the hill country.

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All the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrha, and all their supply of food, was carried off by the victors as they went;

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so, too, was Abram’s nephew Lot, who dwelt at Sodom, with all the wealth that was his.

13

And now word came, by one of those who had escaped, to the Hebrew chieftain Abram, where he lived in the valley of Mambre the Amorrhite, brother of Escol and Aner; all these were confederate with Abram.

14

Abram himself, as soon as he heard that his kinsman Lot was a prisoner, mustered the men he had in arms, all of his own household, to the number of three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit all the way to Dan.

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Here he divided his confederates into companies, and fell upon the enemy by night, routing them and driving them in their flight as far as Hoba, to the left of Damascus;

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and he brought back all that wealth with him, Lot, too, and the wealth that was his, and the women, and the common folk.

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Thus he defeated Chodorlahomor, and the kings who were with him. And as he came back, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Savé, which is the same as the Royal Valley;

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Melchisedech, too, was there, the king of Salem. And he, priest as he was of the most high God, brought out bread and wine with him,

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and gave him this benediction, On Abram be the blessing of the most high God, maker of heaven and earth,

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and blessed be that most high God, whose protection has brought thy enemies into thy power. To him, Abram gave tithes of all he had won.✻

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As for the king of Sodom, he said to Abram, Give me these living souls; all the rest thou mayest take for thyself.

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But Abram answered, By this hand, which I lift up to the Lord God, the prince of heaven and earth,

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I will take nothing of thine, though it were but a thread from the woof or the strap of a shoe. Never shalt thou say, Abram got his wealth from me.

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Take all, except the food my men have already eaten, and the share that falls to the three who came out with me, Aner, Escol, and Mambre; let them have their part.