Genesis 13–19

Chapter 13

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him into the south.

²And he was very rich in possession of gold and silver.

³And he returned by the way, that he came, from the south to Bethel, to the place where before he had pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai,

⁴In the place of the altar which he had made before, and there he called upon the name of the Lord.

⁵But Lot also, who was with Abram, had flocks of sheep, and herds of beasts, and tents.

⁶Neither was the land able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, and they could not dwell together.

⁷Whereupon also there arose a strife between the herdsmen of Abram and of Lot. And at that time the Chanaanite and the Pherezite dwelled in that country.

⁸Abram therefore said to Lot: Let there be no quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen: for we are brethren.

⁹Behold the whole land is before thee: depart from me, I pray thee: if thou wilt go to the left hand, I will take the right: if thou choose the right hand, I will pass to the left.

¹⁰And Lot lifting up his eyes, saw all the country about the Jordan, which was watered throughout, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, as the paradise of the Lord, and like Egypt as one comes to Segor.

¹¹And Lot chose to himself the country about the Jordan, and he departed from the east: and they were separated one brother from the other.

¹²Abram dwelt in the land of Chanaan: and Lot abode in the towns, that were about the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom.

¹³And the men of Sodom were very wicked, and sinners before the face of the Lord beyond measure.

¹⁴And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him: Lift up thy eyes, and look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west.

¹⁵All the land which thou seest, I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever.

¹⁶And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: if any man be able to number the dust of the earth, he shall be able to number thy seed also.

¹⁷Arise and walk through the land in the length, and the breadth thereof: for I will give it to thee.

¹⁸So Abram removing his tent, came, and dwelt by the vale of Mambre, which is in Hebron: and he built there an altar to the Lord.

Chapter 14

And it came to pass at that time, that Amraphel, king of Sennaar, and Arioch, king of Pontus, and Chodorlahomor, king of the Elamites, and Thadal, king of nations,

²Made war against Bara, king of Sodom, and against Bersa, king of Gomorrha, and against Sennaab, king of Adama, and against Semeber, king of Seboim, and against the king of Bala, which is Segor.

³All these came together into the woodland vale, which now is the salt sea.

⁴For they had served Chodorlahomor twelve years, and in the thirteenth year they revolted from him.

⁵And in the fourteenth year came Chodorlahomor, and the kings that were with him: and they smote the Raphaim in Astarothcarnaim, and the Zuzim with them, and the Emim in Save of Cariathaim.

⁶And the Chorreans in the mountains of Seir, even to the plains of Pharan, which is in the wilderness.

⁷And they returned, and came to the fountain of Misphat, the same is Cades: and they smote all the country of the Amalecites, and the Amorrhean that dwelt in Asasonthamar.

⁸And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrha, and the king of Adama, and the king of Seboim, and the king of Bala, which is Segor, went out: and they set themselves against them in battle array, in the woodland vale:

⁹To wit, against Chodorlahomor king of the Elamites, and Thadal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Pontus: four kings against five.

¹⁰Now the woodland vale had many pits of slime. And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrha turned their backs, and were overthrown there: and they that remained, fled to the mountain.

¹¹And they took all the substance of the Sodomites, and Gomorrhites, and all their victuals, and went their way:

¹²And Lot also, the son of Abram’s brother, who dwelt in Sodom, and his substance.

¹³And behold one, that had escaped, told Abram the Hebrew, who dwelt in the vale of Mambre the Amorrhite, the brother of Escol, and the brother of Aner: for these had made a league with Abram.

¹⁴Which when Abram had heard, to wit, that his brother Lot was taken, he numbered of the servants born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, well appointed: and pursued them to Dan.

¹⁵And dividing his company, he rushed upon them in the night, and defeated them: and pursued them as far as Hoba, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

¹⁶And he brought back all the substance, and Lot his brother, with his substance, the women also, and the people.

¹⁷And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he returned from the slaughter of Chodorlahomor, and of the kings that were with him in the vale of Save, which is the king’s vale.

¹⁸But Melchisedech, the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God,

¹⁹Blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth.

²⁰And blessed be the most high God, by whose protection, the enemies are in thy hands. And he gave him the tithes of all.

²¹And the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and the rest take to thyself.

²²And he answered him: I lift up my hand to the Lord God the most high, the possessor of heaven and earth,

²³That from the very woofthread unto the shoe latchet, I will not take of any things that are thine, lest thou say: I have enriched Abram.

²⁴Except such things as the young men have eaten, and the shares of the men that came with me, Aner, Escol, and Mambre: these shall take their shares.

Chapter 15

Now when these things were done, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: Fear not, Abram, I am thy protector, and thy reward exceeding great.

²And Abram said: Lord God, what wilt thou give me? I shall go without children: and the son of the steward of my house is this Damascus Eliezer.

³And Abram added: But to me thou hast not given seed: and lo my servant born in my house, shall be my heir.

⁴And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: He shall not be thy heir: but he that shall come out of thy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir.

⁵And he brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars if thou canst. And he said to him: So shall thy seed be.

⁶Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

⁷And he said to him: I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, and that thou mightest possess it.

⁸But he said: Lord God, whereby may I know that I shall possess it?

⁹And the Lord answered, and said: Take me a cow of three years old, and a she goat of three years, and a ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon.

¹⁰And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of each one against the other: but the birds he divided not.

¹¹And the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹²And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him.

¹³And it was said unto him: Know thou beforehand that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own, and they shall bring them under bondage, and afflict them four hundred years.

¹⁴But I will judge the nation which they shall serve, and after this they shall come out with great substance.

¹⁵And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and be buried in a good old age.

¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall return hither: for as yet the iniquities of the Amorrhites are not at the full until this present time.

¹⁷And when the sun was set, there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace, and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.

¹⁸That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: To thy seed will I give this land, from the river to Egypt even to the great river Euphrates.

¹⁹The Cineans, and Cenezites, the Cedmonites,

²⁰And the Hethites, and the Pherezites, the Raphaim also,

²¹And the Amorrhites, and the Chanaanites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.

Chapter 16

Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had brought forth no children: but having a handmaid, an Egyptian, named Agar,

²She said to her husband: Behold, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed to her request,

³She took Agar the Egyptian her handmaid, ten years after they first dwelt in the land of Chanaan, and gave her to her husband to wife.

⁴And he went in to her. But she perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress.

⁵And Sarai said to Abram: Thou dost unjustly with me: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom, and she perceiving herself to be with child, despiseth me. The Lord judge between me and thee.

⁶And Abram made answer, and said to her: Behold thy handmaid is in thy own hand, use her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai afflicted her, she ran away.

⁷And the angel of the Lord having found her, by a fountain of water in the wilderness, which is in the way to Sur in the desert,

⁸He said to her: Agar, handmaid of Sarai, whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she answered: I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress.

⁹And the angel of the Lord said to her: Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hand.

¹⁰And again he said: I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, and it shall not be numbered for multitude.

¹¹And again: Behold, said he, thou art with child, and thou shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Ismael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

¹²He shall be a wild man: his hand will be against all men, and all men’s hands against him: and he shall pitch his tents over against all his brethren.

¹³And she called the name…