Genesis 14

¹⁰His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

²²The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

¹²Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?

²And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

¹¹On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

²⁵all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;

¹⁰And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

²³All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His fierce anger.

¹⁹and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

⁸How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!

⁹Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.

¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

³the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.

¹²Then the border will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea. This will be your land, defined by its borders on all sides.”

¹⁷The Jordan River in the Arabah bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east.

¹⁶the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

²⁴Then the Lord rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.

³⁴and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.

¹⁵But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’

²⁵he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

²⁶He also declared: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.

¹¹(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

¹⁰(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites.

¹¹Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.

²⁰Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

⁴This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

²²Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God Himself will fight for you.”

²³upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,

²²just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.

¹²The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the Lord gave them as their possession.)

²¹And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

¹⁶After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

³So at the command of the Lord, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,

²⁰These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of Edom.

²Then some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the Sea; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).

¹⁴Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

¹Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,

¹In the first month, the whole congregation of Israel entered the Wilderness of Zin and stayed in Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

¹David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

²So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.

⁶²Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi—six cities, along with their villages.

²²Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.” That is why the town was called Zoar.

²⁰Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it is a small place. Please let me flee there—is it not a small place? Then my life will be saved.”

¹⁰And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

¹⁰Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some men fell into the pits, but the survivors fled to the hill country.

²went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

³The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).

¹⁷As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

¹⁸Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

³⁰Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in Zoar—where they lived in a cave.

⁴⁴“Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

³And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.

¹⁰who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.

²¹The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.”

¹⁶He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people.

³⁵The Lord will afflict you with painful, incurable boils on your knees and thighs, from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.

⁵And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

³¹Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will save you.

⁵¹They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish.

⁵And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

²⁷This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

¹⁹Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

¹²Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

¹³But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the Lord.

²³When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.

¹⁸So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

²⁴I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.”

¹⁵For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”

¹²That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

⁶When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”

²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

²⁹They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.

³Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

¹²Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.

⁷I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,

²⁷And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.

¹¹Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.

¹²If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?

²and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

²This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the Lord’s time of release has been proclaimed.

¹⁸So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:

²Who has aroused one from the east and called him to his feet in righteousness? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.

³He pursues them, going on safely, hardly touching the path with his feet.

⁵It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.

¹⁸So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

¹⁹Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.

⁸and David inquired of the Lord: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the Lord replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”

²I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

²Who has aroused one from the east and called him to his feet in righteousness? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.

¹¹The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went on their way.

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

¹⁸During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

¹This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

⁴Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

³⁴And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.

⁶As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments.

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.

⁴The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

²⁰where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

⁶And in another passage God says: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

¹⁰and was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

²His tent is in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion.

²I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

²²But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

⁶But Melchizedek, who did not trace his descent from Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

⁷And indisputably, the lesser is blessed by the greater.

¹⁰Then Boaz said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

¹A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein.

²³“Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁴‘May the Lord bless you and keep you;

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

²²And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”

¹²and all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms.

⁴Consider how great Melchizedek was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder.

⁵Now the law commands the sons of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they too are descended from Abraham.

¹⁰Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.

²⁸At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates.

¹⁷Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.

⁷And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.”

¹⁸May they know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, are Most High over all the earth.

⁵Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven.

⁶And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay!

³⁴But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

³⁵As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the Lord and cannot take it back.”

⁸And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord!’”

¹⁶But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And although Naaman urged him to accept it, he refused.

⁹And when I was with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.

¹⁰As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

¹⁵On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa came together again and put to death three hundred men there, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

¹⁶The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces also assembled to defend themselves and rid themselves of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

²⁰Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

¹⁴See, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will not be a burden, because I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

²⁷Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act.

¹²In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

¹³Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.

⁷Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

⁸Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

¹⁸For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”

¹⁴In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast.