Four Kings Against Five
Four kings defeat five, and Lot is carried off with Sodom's plunder. Abram arms his household, chases them north, and brings everyone back. He tithes to Melchizedek, priest of our Father Most High, but refuses Sodom's goods, so no king can claim he made Abram rich.
14 1In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2these kings warred 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). 3All these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea). a a v3 Hebrew: the Salt Sea. 4For twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and his allied kings came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, to El-paran on the edge of the wilderness. 7They turned back to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and struck the whole territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar. 8The king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up battle lines against them in the Valley of Siddim, 9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
10The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and some of them fell there, and the rest fled to the hills. 11The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and left. 12They also took Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions and left, for Lot lived in Sodom.
13A man who had escaped reported this to Abram the Hebrew, living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner—Abram's allies. 14When Abram heard his relative was captured, he led out the 318 trained men born in his household and pursued them as far as Dan. 15That night he split his forces, he and his servants, attacked them, and chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16He brought back all the goods, and also recovered his relative Lot and his possessions, plus the women and the people.
Home From the Battle
17After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and his allied kings, the king of Sodom came to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (the King's Valley). 18Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of El Elyon, our Father Most High. b b v18 Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, foreshadows Jesus — Hebrews 7 names him as the eternal priest-king whose order Jesus fulfills. 19He blessed Abram and said: "Blessed be Abram by El Elyon, our Father Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20And blessed be El Elyon, our Father Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, and take the goods for yourself."
22But Abram told the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand in a solemn oath to our Father, El Elyon, Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23that I will take nothing of yours, not a thread or a sandal strap, so you can never say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24Nothing for me—only what the young men ate, and shares for Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, who went with me. Let them take theirs."
