Genesis 14

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;

1Long ago four kings ruled. They were Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal, king of many peoples.

2That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

2These four kings went to war against five other kings. They were Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, the town also called Zoar.

3All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.

3The five kings joined together and brought their armies to the Valley of Siddim. That valley is by the Salt Sea.

4Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

4For twelve years those five kings had to obey King Chedorlaomer. In the thirteenth year they said no more.

5And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

5So in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings with him came out to fight. They beat the Rephaim people at Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, and the Emim at Shaveh Kiriathaim.

6And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

6They also beat the Horite people in their hill country of Seir. They pushed on to El-paran, near the desert.

7And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.

7Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat, the place also called Kadesh. They beat the whole land of the Amalekites, and the Amorites living at Hazezon-tamar.

8And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;

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

9With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.

9They fought against Chedorlaomer of Elam, Tidal king of many peoples, Amraphel of Shinar, and Arioch of Ellasar. It was four kings against five.

10And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

10The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, deep holes of sticky black goo. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away, some men fell into the pits. The rest ran to the hills.

NoteThe old word here is "slimepits." It means pits of natural tar, thick and sticky, that people could fall into.

11And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.

11The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. They took all the food too, and then they left.

12And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

12They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, and everything he owned. Lot had been living in Sodom.

13And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.

13One man got away and told Abram the Hebrew what had happened. Abram was living by the big trees of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his brothers Eshcol and Aner had promised to stand with Abram.

14And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

14Abram heard that Lot, his own family, had been carried off. So he called out the 318 trained men born in his house. They chased the enemy all the way to Dan.

NoteThe old word here is "brother." In this story it means a family member. Lot was Abram's nephew.

15And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

15That night Abram split his men into groups and attacked from more than one side. They beat the enemy and chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus.

16And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

16Abram brought back all the goods that had been taken. He brought back Lot and Lot's things, and the women and the other people too.

17And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.

17Abram came home after beating Chedorlaomer and the kings with him. The king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, also called the King's Valley.

18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

18Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest, a man whose work was serving God Most High.

19And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

19He blessed Abram and said, "May God Most High bless Abram. God Most High made heaven and earth, and they belong to him.

20And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

20And blessed be God Most High. He has handed your enemies over to you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek one tenth of everything he had brought back.

Note"Tithes" is an old word that simply means one tenth of something.

21And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

21The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me back my people. You may keep all the goods for yourself."

22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand and promised something to the LORD, God Most High, who made heaven and earth and owns it all.

23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

23I will not take even one thread from you, or one strap from a sandal. I will not take anything that is yours. Then you can never say, 'I am the one who made Abram rich.'

24Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

24The only thing I will take is the food my young men have eaten. And let my friends Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share, since they went with me."