1 Or, Circle and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called 18 Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, She is my 19 sister? so that I took her to be my wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Pharaoh gave men charge con- 20 cerning him and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and 1 13 his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South. And Abram was very rich in 2 cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on 3 his journeys from the South even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Ai; unto the 4 place of the altar, which he had made there at the first and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. And Lot also, which went with 5 Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And 6 the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of 7 Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let 8 there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land 9 before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted his eyes, and beheld all the 'Plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like up IO the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, I as thou goest unto Zoar. So Lot chose him all the Plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east and they separated themselves the one 12 from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and 14 sinners against the LORD exceedingly. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward 15 and southward and eastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give 16 it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then 17 shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give 18 it. And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the 'oaks of Mamre, which are in 10r, Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD. 14 I terebinths 2 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of 'Goiim, 2 Or, nations 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, 3 themselves 3 and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). All 4 1 Heb. field. 2 That is, in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. And they returned, and came 7 to En-mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and smote all the 'country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar. And 8 there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar); and they set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim; against Chedor- 9 laomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. Now 10 the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and bitumen pits. the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of 11 Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, 12 Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came 13 one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the 'oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was 14 taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. And he divided 15 himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the 16 goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to 17 meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were 3 Or, terebinths • Or, north And he 1 Heb. El Elyon. 2 with him, at the vale of Shaveh (the same is 18 the King's Vale). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he 19 was priest of 'God Most High. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of 1God Most 20 High, 'possessor of heaven and earth: and Or, maker blessed be 'God Most High, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. 21 gave him a tenth of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, 22 and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, 'God Most High, 'possessor 23 of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread nor a shoelatchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram 24 rich save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me; Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion. and, 3 Or, let there be nothing for me; only that reward shall be exceeding great Heb. Jehovah, as in other places where GOD is put in capitals. Or, go hence and Syriac have, Eliezer 4 Or, thy 6 7 The Chaldee 15 I After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding 2 great reward. And Abram said, O Lord 'GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I 'go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house 3 is Dammesek Eliezer? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: 4 lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels Damascene. 5 shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to tell them: and 6 he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it 7 to him for righteousness. And he said unto the him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, O Lord GOD, 8 whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of 9 three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took him 10 all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. And the birds of prey 11 came down upon the carcases, and Abram drove them away. And when the sun was 12 going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a 13 surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, 14 will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. But thou shalt go to 15 thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. And in the fourth generation 16 they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full. And it came to 17 pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. In 18 that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite, 19 and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, and the 20 Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the 21 Girgashite, and the Jebusite. Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no child- 1 16 |