16 WAR WITH KINGS OF SODOM
Four Kings with Eight Hundred Thousand Men War against Sodom and the Cities of the Plain, and destroy and plunder their people. Abram, Hearing that Lot is taken captive, gathers together about Three Hundred Men and Pursues the Kings, retakes the captives, and smites the whole Army of the confederate Rings. On his Return, Abram meets Melchizedek, King of Yerusalem, the same was Shem. Abram gives Tithing of all he had taken to Melchizedek, and is Blessed of Him. Abram Restores to every Man his property which he had retaken in the War, and returns to Hebron. YAHWEH again appears to Abram and promises to bless him with a Numberless Posterity. Sarah being childless gives Hagar to Abram for a Wife, and becoming jealous of her, afflicts her. An Heavenly Messenger comforts Hagar. Ishmael is Born
1 At that time Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings, to Nimrod, king of Shinar who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king of Goyim, and to Arioch, king of Elasar, with whom he made a covenant, saying, Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite all the towns of Sodom and its inhabitants, for they have rebelled against me these thirteen years.
2 And these four kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred thousand men, and they went as they were, and smote every man they found in their road.
3 And the five kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, Bera king of Sodom, Bersha king of Gomorrah, and Bela king of Zoar, went out to meet them, and they all joined together in the valley of Siddim.
4 And these nine kings made war in the valley of Siddim; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam.
5 And the valley of Siddim was full of lime pits and the kings of Elam pursued the kings of Sodom, and the kings of Sodom with their camps fled and fell into the lime pits, and all that remained went to the mountain for safety, and the five kings of Elam came after them and pursued them to the gates of Sodom, and they took all that there was in Sodom.
6 And they plundered all the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, and his property, and they seized all the goods of the cities of Sodom, and they went away; and Unic, Abram's servant, who was in the battle, saw this, and told Abram all that the kings had done to the cities of Sodom, and that Lot was taken captive by them.
7 And Abram heard this, and he rose up with about three hundred and eighteen men that were with him, and he that night pursued these kings and smote them, and they all fell before Abram and his men, and there was none remaining but the four kings who fled, and they went each his own road.
8 And Abram recovered all the property of Sodom, and he also recovered Lot and his property, his wives and little ones and all belonging to him, so that Lot lacked nothing.
9 And when he returned from smiting these kings, he and his men passed the valley of Siddim where the kings had made war together.
10 And Bera king of Sodom, and the rest of his men that were with him, went out from the lime pits into which they had fallen, to meet Abram and his men.
11 And Melchizedek king of Yerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Abram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melech.
12 And Melchizedek blessed Abram, and Abram gave him a tenth from all that he had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for Melchizedek was a priest before YAHWEH.
13 And all the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah who were there, with their servants, approached Abram and begged of him to return them their servants whom he had made captive, and to take unto himself all the property.
14 And Abram answered the kings of Sodom, saying, As YAHWEH lives who created heaven and earth, and who redeemed my soul from all affliction, and who delivered me this day from my enemies, and gave them into my hand, I will not take anything belonging to you, that you may not boast tomorrow, saying, Abram became rich from our property that he saved.
15 For YAHWEH my Elohim in whom I trust said unto me, You shalt lack nothing, for I will bless you in all the works of your hands.
16 And now therefore behold, here is all belonging to you, take it and go; as YAHWEH lives I will not take from you from a living soul down to a shoe tie or thread, excepting the expense of the food of those who went out with me to battle, as also the portions of the men who went with me, Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre, they and their men, as well as those also who had remained to watch the baggage, they shall take their portion of the spoil.
17 And the kings of Sodom gave Abram according to all that he had said, and they pressed him to take of whatever he chose, but he would not.
18 And he sent away the kings of Sodom and the remainder of their men, and he gave them orders about Lot, and they went to their respective places.
19 And Lot, his brother's son, he also sent away with his property, and he went with them, and Lot returned to his home, to Sodom, and Abram and his people returned to their home to the plains of Mamre, which is in Hebron.
20 At that time YAHWEH again appeared to Abram in Hebron, and he said to him, Do not fear, your reward is very great before me, for I will not leave you, until I shall have multiplied you, and blessed you and made your seed like the stars in heaven, which cannot be measured nor numbered.
21 And I will give unto your seed all these lands that you see with thine eyes, to them will I give them for an inheritance forever, only be strong and do not fear, walk before me and be perfect.
22 And in the seventy-eighth year of the life of Abram, in that year died Reu, the son of Peleg, and all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
23 And Sarai, the daughter of Haran, Abram's wife, was still barren in those days; she did not bear to Abram either son or daughter.
24 And when she saw that she bare no children she took her handmaid Hagar, whom Pharaoh had given her, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife.
25 For Hagar learned all the ways of Sarai as Sarai taught her, she was not in any way deficient in following her good ways.
26 And Sarai said to Abram, Behold here is my handmaid Hagar, go to her that she may bring forth upon my knees, that I may also obtain children through her.
27 And at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the eighty-fifth year of Abram's life, Sarai gave Hagar unto him.
28 And Abram hearkened to the voice of his wife Sarai, and he took his handmaid Hagar and Abram came to her and she conceived.
29 And when Hagar saw that she had conceived she rejoiced greatly, and her mistress was despised in her eyes, and she said within herself, This can only be that I am better before YAHWEH than Sarai my mistress, for all the days that my mistress has been with my adonai, she did not conceive, but me YAHWEH has caused in so short a time to conceive by him.
30 And when Sarai saw that Hagar had conceived by Abram, Sarai was jealous of her handmaid, and Sarai said within herself, This is surely nothing else but that she must be better than I am.
31 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon you, for at the time when you did pray before YAHWEH for children why did you not pray on my account, that YAHWEH should give me seed from you?
32 And when I speak to Hagar in your presence, she despises my words, because she has conceived, and you wilt say nothing to her; may YAHWEH judge between me and you for what you have done to me.
33 And Abram said to Sarai, Behold your handmaid is in your hand, do unto her as it may seem good in your eyes; and Sarai afflicted her, and Hagar fled from her to the wilderness.
34 And an heavenly messenger of YAHWEH found her in the place where she had fled, by a well, and he said to her, Do not fear, for I will multiply your seed, for you shalt bear a son and you shalt call his name Ishmael; now then return to Sarai your mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
35 And Hagar called the place of that well Beer-lahai-roi, it is between Kadesh and the wilderness of Bered.
36 And Hagar at that time returned to her master's house, and at the end of days Hagar bare a son to Abram, and Abram called his name Ishmael; and Abram was eighty-six years old when he begat him.