Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 31
13:14–14:15
G enesis
19
After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can
see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this
land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent
possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of
the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every
direction, for I am giving it to you.”
So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove
belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.
About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia,
King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of
Goiim fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah,
King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela
(also called Zoar).
This second group of kings joined forces in Siddim Valley (that is, the
valley of the Dead Sea). For twelve years they had been subject to King
Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him.
One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the
Rephaites at A shteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emites at
Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the
edge of the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat
(now called Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites,
and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar.
Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela
(also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea. They
fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King
Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against
five. As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And
as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the
tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking
with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. They also captured
Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in S odom—and carried off everything
he owned.
But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite.
Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.
When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then
he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.
There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s
army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
