Genesis 12; Genesis 13; Genesis 14; Genesis 15

Genesis 12

1 The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your land, your relatives, and your father's home. Go to the land that I will show you.

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

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. Through you every family on earth will be blessed."

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

5 Abram set out for Canaan. He took along his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the servants they had acquired in Haran.

6 They arrived in Canaan, and Abram traveled through the land to the oak tree belonging to Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I'm going to give this land to your descendants." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8 He moved on to the hills east of Bethel, and he put up his tent--with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He also built an altar to the LORD there and worshiped the LORD.

9 Abram kept moving toward the Negev.

10 There was a famine in the land. Abram went to Egypt to stay awhile because the famine was severe.

11 When he was about to enter Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai, "I know that you're a beautiful woman.

12 When the Egyptians see you, they'll say, 'This is his wife!' Then they'll kill me but let you live.

13 Please say that you're my sister. Then everything will be alright for me, and because of you I will live."

14 When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw how very beautiful his wife was.

15 When Pharaoh's officials saw her, they raved about her to Pharaoh, so Sarai was taken to Pharaoh's palace.

16 Everything went well for Abram because of her, and he was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

17 However, the LORD struck Pharaoh and his household with terrible plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

18 Then Pharaoh called for Abram. "What have you done to me?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife?

19 Why did you say, 'She's my sister' and allow me to take her for my wife? Here's your wife! Take her and go!"

20 Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram. They sent Abram away with his wife and everything that he had.

Genesis 13

1 Abram left Egypt with his wife and everything he had and went to the Negev. Lot was with him.

2 Abram was very rich because he had livestock, silver, and gold.

3 He traveled from place to place. He went from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the area between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been originally,

4 where he had first made an altar. There Abram worshiped the LORD.

5 Lot, who had been traveling with Abram, also had his own sheep, cattle, and tents.

6 There wasn't enough pastureland for both of them. They had so many possessions that they were unable to remain together.

7 Quarrels broke out between Abram's herders and Lot's herders. (Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in that area.)

8 Abram said to Lot, "Please, let's not have any more quarrels between us or between our herders. After all, we're relatives.

9 Isn't all this land yours also? Let's separate. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right, and if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

10 Then Lot looked in the direction of Zoar as far as he could see. He saw that the whole Jordan Plain was well-watered like the LORD's garden or like Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

11 Lot chose the whole Jordan Plain for himself. He moved toward the east. They each went their own way.

12 Abram lived in Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain, moving his tents as far as Sodom.

13 (The people who lived in Sodom were very wicked. They committed terrible sins against the LORD.)

14 After Lot left, the LORD said to Abram, "Look north, south, east, and west of where you are.

15 I will give all the land you see to you and to your descendants for an indefinite period of time.

16 I will also give you as many descendants as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then he could also count your descendants.

17 Go! Walk back and forth across the entire land because I will give it to you."

18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live by the oak trees belonging to Mamre at Hebron. There he built an altar for the LORD.

Genesis 14

1 At that time [four kings]--King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim--

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

3 The five kings joined forces and met in the valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea).

4 For 12 years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and his allies came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the Emim at Shaveh Kiriathaim,

6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, going as far as El Paran on the edge of the desert.

7 On their way back, they came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites and also the Amorites who were living at Hazazon Tamar.

8 Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and prepared for battle in the valley of Siddim.

9 They fought against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar--four kings against five.

10 The valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. As the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell because of the tar pits, but the other kings fled to the hills.

11 So the four kings took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as all their food, and left.

12 They also took Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions since he was living in Sodom.

13 Then a soldier who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew what had happened. He was living next to the oak trees belonging to Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner. (These men were Abram's allies.)

14 When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his 318 trained men, born in his own household, and pursued the four kings all the way to Dan.

15 He split up his men to attack them at night. He defeated them, pursuing them all the way to Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

16 He brought back everything they had, including women and soldiers. He also brought back his relative Lot and his possessions.

17 After Abram came back from defeating Chedorlaomer and his allies, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King's Valley).

18 Then King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High.

19 He blessed Abram, and said, "Blessed is Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth.

20 Blessed is God Most High, who has handed your enemies over to you." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, and keep everything else for yourself."

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I now raise my hand and solemnly swear to the LORD God Most High, maker of heaven and earth,

23 that I won't take a thread or a sandal strap. I won't take anything that is yours so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'

24 I won't take one single thing except what my men have eaten. But let my allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."

Genesis 15

1 Later the LORD spoke his word to Abram in a vision. He said, "Abram, don't be afraid. I am your shield. Your reward will be very great."

2 Abram asked, "Almighty LORD, what will you give me? Since I'm going to die without children, Eliezer of Damascus will inherit my household.

3 You have given me no children, so this member of my household will be my heir."

4 Suddenly, the LORD spoke his word to Abram again. He said, "This man will not be your heir. Your own son will be your heir."

5 He took Abram outside and said, "Now look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He also said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!"

6 Then Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD regarded that faith to be his approval of Abram.

7 Then the LORD said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land so that you will take possession of it."

8 Abram asked, "Almighty LORD, how can I be certain that I will take possession of it?"

9 He answered Abram, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a mourning dove, and a pigeon."

10 So Abram brought all these animals to him. He cut each of them in half and laid each half opposite the other. However, he did not cut the birds in half.

11 When birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was just about to set, a deep sleep--a dreadful, deep darkness--came over Abram.

13 God said to Abram, "You can know for sure that your descendants will live in a land that is not their own, where they will be slaves, and they will be oppressed for 400 years.

14 But I will punish the nation they serve, and after that they will come out with many possessions.

15 But you will die in peace and be buried at a very old age.

16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, because the sin of the Amorites will not have run its course until then."

17 The sun had gone down, and it was dark. Suddenly a smoking oven and a flaming torch passed between the animal pieces.

18 At that time the LORD made a promise to Abram. He said, "I will give this land to your descendants. This is the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.

19 It is the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."