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11They took everything from Sodom and Gomorrah, including its food supplies, and left. 12They also took Lot, Abram's nephew who lived in Sodom, and everything he owned, and took off. 13When a survivor arrived, he told Abram the Hebrew, who lived near the oaks of the Amorite Mamre, who was the brother of Eshcol and Aner, Abram's treaty partners.
14When Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he took all of the loyal men born in his household, three hundred eighteen, and went after them as far as Dan. 15During the night, he and his servants divided themselves up against them, attacked, and chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16He brought back all of the looted property, together with his relative Lot and Lot's property, wives, and people.
Abram blessed by Melchizedek
17After Abram returned from his attack on Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom came out to the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King's Valley) to meet him. 18Now Melchizedek the king of Salem and the priest of El Elyons had brought bread and wine, 19and he blessed him,
"Bless Abram by El Elyon,
creator of heaven and earth;
20bless El Elyon,
who gave you the victory over your enemies."
Abram gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything. 21Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and take the property for yourself."
22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I promised the LORD, El Elyon, creator of heaven and earth,23that I wouldn't take even a thread or a sandal strap from anything that was yours so that you couldn't say, 'I'm the one who made Abram rich.'24The only exception is that the young men may keep whatever they have taken to eat, and the men who went with me--Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre--may keep their share."
God's covenant with Abram
Genesis 15After these events, the LORD's word came to Abram in a vision, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your protector.t Your reward will be very great."
2But Abram said, "LORD God, what can you possibly give me, since I still have no children? The head of my household is Eliezer, a man from Damascus."u 3He continued, "Since you haven't given me any children, the head of my household will be my heir."
4The LORD's word came immediately to him, "This man will not be your heir. Your heir will definitely be your very own biological child."5Then he brought Abram outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars if you think you can count them." He continued, "This is how many children you will have."6Abram trusted the LORD, and the LORD recognized Abram's high moral character.
7He said to Abram, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession."
8But Abram said, "LORD God, how do I know that I will actually possess it?"
9He said, "Bring me a three-year-old female calf, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon."10He took all of these animals, split them in half, and laid the halves facing each other, but he didn't split the birds. 11When vultures swooped down on the carcasses, Abram waved them off. 12After the sun set, Abram slept deeply. A terrifying and deep darkness settled over him.
13Then the LORD said to Abram, "Have no doubt that your descendants will live as immigrants in a land that isn't their own, where they will be oppressed slaves for four hundred years. 14But after I punish the nation they serve, they will leave it with great wealth. 15As for you, you will join your ancestors in peace and be buried after a good long life. 16The fourth generation will return here since the Amorites' wrongdoing won't have reached its peak until then."
17After the sun had set and darkness had deepened, a smoking vessel with a fiery flame passed between the split-open animals. 18That day the LORD cut a covenant with Abram: "To your descendants I give this land, from Egypt's river to the great Euphrates,19together with the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
Hagar and the Ishmaelites' origins
Genesis 16Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to have children. Since she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar, 2Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from giving birth, so go to my servant. Maybe she will provide me with children." Abram did just as Sarai said. 3After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took her Egyptian servant Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when she realized that she was pregnant, she no longer respected her mistress. 5Sarai said to Abram, "This harassment is your fault. I allowed you to embrace my servant, but when she realized she was pregnant, I lost her respect. Let the LORD decide who is right, you or me."
6Abram said to Sarai, "Since she's your servant, do whatever you wish to her." So Sarai treated her harshly, and she ran away from Sarai.
7The LORD's messenger found Hagar at a spring in the desert, the spring on the road to Shur, 8and said, "Hagar! Sarai's servant! Where did you come from and where are you going?"
She said, "From Sarai my mistress. I'm running away."
9The LORD's messenger said to her, "Go back to your mistress. Put up with her harsh treatment of you."10The LORD's messenger also said to her,
"I will give you many children,
so many they can't be counted!"
11The LORD's messenger said to her,
"You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son.
You will name him Ishmaelv
because the LORD has heard about your harsh treatment.
12He will be a wild mule of a man;
he will fight everyone, and they will fight him.
He will live at odds with all his relatives."w
13Hagar named the LORD who spoke to her, "You are El Roi"x because she said, "Can I still see after he saw me?"y 14Therefore, that well is called Beer-lahai-roi;z it's the well between Kadesh and Bered. 15Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael for Abram.
God's covenant with Abraham
Genesis 17When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am El Shaddai.a Walk with me and be trustworthy. 2I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants."3Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4"But me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abramb
