13So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned.H87H5927H4714H802H3876H5045 2(Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.)H87H3966H3513H4735H3701H2091 3From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before.H3212H4550H5045H1008H4725H168H1961H8462H1008H5857 4This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the LORD again.H4725H4196H6213H7223H87H7121H8034H3068 5Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents.H3876H1980H854H87H6629H1241H168 6But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together.H776H5375H3427H3162H7399H7227H3201H3427H3162 7So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)H7379H7462H87H4735H7462H3876H4735H3669H6522H3427H776 8Finally Abram said to Lot, "Let's not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives!H87H559H3876H1961H408H4808H7462H7462H582H251 9The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left."H776H6440H6504H8040H3231H3225H8041 10Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)H3876H5375H5869H7200H3603H3383H4945H6440H3068H7843H5467H6017H1588H3068H776H4714H935H6820 11Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.H3876H977H3603H3383H3876H5265H6924H6504H376H251 12So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.H87H3427H776H3667H3876H3427H5892H3603H167H5704H5467 13But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the LORD.H582H5467H7451H2400H3068H3966 14After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, "Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.H3068H559H87H310H3876H6504H5375H5869H7200H4725H6828H5045H6924H3220 15I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.H776H7200H5414H2233H5704H5769 16And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!H7760H2233H6083H776H834H376H3201H4487H6083H776H2233H4487 17Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you."H6965H1980H776H753H7341H5414 18So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the LORD.H87H167H935H3427H436H4471H2275H1129H4196H3068
14About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of GoiimH3117H569H4428H8152H746H4428H495H3540H4428H5867H8413H4428H1471 2fought 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).H6213H4421H854H1298H4428H5467H1306H4428H6017H8134H4428H126H8038H4428H6636H4428H1106H1931H6820 3This second group of kings joined forces in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea).H2266H6010H7708H1931H4417H3220 4For twelve years they had been subject to King Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him.H6240H8147H8141H5647H853H3540H7969H6240H8141H4775 5One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the Rephaites at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emites at Shaveh-kiriathaim,H6240H702H8141H935H3540H4428H5221H7497H6255H2104H1990H368H7741 6and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness.H2752H2042H8165H364H5921H4057 7Then 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.H7725H935H413H5880H6946H5221H7704H6003H567H3427H2688 8Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea.H3318H4428H5467H4428H6017H4428H126H4428H6636H4428H1106H1931H6820H6186H4421H6010H7708 9They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five.H3540H4428H5867H8413H4428H1471H569H4428H8152H746H4428H495H702H4428H2568 10As 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.H6010H7708H875H875H2564H4428H5467H6017H5127H5307H7604H5127H2022 11The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies.H3947H7399H5467H6017H400H3212 12They also captured Lot—Abram's nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.H3947H3876H87H251H1121H3427H5467H7399H3212 13But 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.H935H6412H5046H87H5680H7931H436H4471H567H251H812H251H6063H1167H1285H87 14When 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.H87H8085H251H7617H7324H2593H3211H1004H7969H3967H6240H8083H7291H1835 15There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer's army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.H2505H5650H3915H5221H7291H2327H8040H1834 16Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.H7725H7399H7725H251H3876H7399H802H5971 17After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).H4428H5467H3318H7125H310H7725H5221H3540H4428H6010H7740H1931H4428H6010 18And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine.H4442H4428H8004H3318H3899H3196H3548H5945H410 19Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.H1288H559H1288H87H5945H410H7069H8064H776 20And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.H1288H5945H410H4042H6862H3027H5414H4643 21The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered."H4428H5467H559H87H5414H5315H3947H7399 22Abram replied to the king of Sodom, "I solemnly swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,H87H559H4428H5467H7311H3027H3068H5945H410H7069H8064H776 23that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, 'I am the one who made Abram rich.'H518H2339H5275H8288H518H3947H559H6238H87H6238 24I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten, and I request that you give a fair share of the goods to my allies—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre."H1107H834H5288H398H2506H582H1980H854H6063H812H4471H1992H3947H2506
15Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great."H310H1697H1697H3068H1961H87H4236H559H3372H87H4043H3966H7235H7939 2But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.H87H559H136H3069H5414H1980H6185H1121H4943H1004H1931H461H1834 3You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir."H87H559H5414H3808H2233H1121H1004H3423 4Then the LORD said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir."H1697H3068H559H3423H3318H4578H3423 5Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!"H3318H2351H559H5027H8064H5608H3556H3201H5608H559H3541H2233 6And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.H539H3068H2803H6666 7Then the LORD told him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession."H559H3068H3318H218H3778H5414H776H3423 8But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?"H559H136H3069H4100H3045H3423 9The LORD told him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."H559H3947H5697H8027H5795H8027H352H8027H8449H1469 10So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half.H3947H1334H8432H5414H376H1335H7125H7453H6833H1334 11Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.H5861H3381H6297H87H5380 12As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him.H8121H935H8639H5307H87H367H1419H2825H5307 13Then the LORD said to Abram, "You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.H559H87H3045H3045H2233H1616H776H5647H6031H702H3967H8141 14But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.H1471H5647H1777H310H3651H3318H1419H7399 15(As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.)H935H1H7965H6912H2896H7872 16After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction."H7243H1755H2008H7725H5771H567H2008H8003 17After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses.H8121H935H5939H6227H8574H784H3940H5674H996H1506 18So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, "I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—H1931H3117H3068H3772H1285H87H559H2233H5414H776H5104H4714H1419H5104H5104H6578 19the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,H7017H7074H6935 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,H2850H6522H7497 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."H567H3669H1622H2983
16Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.H8297H87H802H3205H3808H3205H8198H4713H8034H1904 2So Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.H8297H559H87H3068H6113H3205H935H8198H194H1129H87H8085H6963H8297 3So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)H8297H87H802H3947H1904H8198H4713H7093H87H3427H6235H8141H776H3667H5414H376H87H802 4So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.H935H1904H2029H7200H2029H1404H7043H5869 5Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she's pregnant she treats me with contempt. The LORD will show who's wrong—you or me!"H8297H559H87H2555H5414H8198H2436H7200H2029H7043H5869H3068H8199 6Abram replied, "Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit." Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.H87H559H8297H8198H3027H6213H2896H5869H8297H6031H1272H6440 7The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.H4397H3068H4672H5869H4325H4057H5869H1870H7793 8The angel said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai," she replied.H559H1904H8297H8198H335H935H3212H559H1272H6440H1404H8297 9The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority."H4397H3068H559H7725H1404H6031H3027 10Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count."H4397H3068H559H7235H2233H7235H5608H7230 11And the angel also said, "You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means 'God hears'), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress.H4397H3068H559H2009H2030H3205H1121H7121H8034H3458H3068H8085H6040 12This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives."H6501H120H3027H3027H7931H6440H251 13Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me." She also said, "Have I truly seen the One who sees me?"H7121H8034H3068H1696H410H7210H559H1988H7200H310H7210 14So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means "well of the Living One who sees me"). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.H875H7121H883H2416H6946H1260 15So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael.H1904H3205H87H1121H87H7121H1121H8034H1904H3205H3458 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.H87H8084H8141H8337H8141H1121H1904H3205H3458H87
17When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am El-Shaddai—'God Almighty.' Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.H87H8673H8141H8141H1121H8672H3068H7200H87H559H7706H410H1980H6440H8549 2I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants."H5414H1285H7235H3966H3966 3At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,H87H5307H6440H430H1696H559 4"This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!H589H1285H1H1995H1471 5What's more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.H8034H7121H87H8034H85H1H1995H1471H5414 6I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!H6509H3966H3966H6509H5414H1471H4428H3318 7"I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.H6965H1285H2233H310H1755H5769H1285H430H2233H310 8And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God."H5414H2233H310H776H4033H776H3667H5769H272H430 9Then God said to Abraham, "Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.H430H559H85H8104H1285H2233H310H1755 10This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.H1285H8104H2233H310H2145H4135 11You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you.H5243H1320H6190H226H1285 12From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased.H8083H3117H1121H4135H2145H1755H3211H1004H4736H3701H1121H5236H2233 13All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant.H3211H1004H4736H3701H4135H4135H1285H1320H5769H1285 14Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant."H6189H2145H834H1320H6190H4135H5315H3772H5971H6565H1285 15Then God said to Abraham, "Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.H430H559H85H8297H802H7121H8034H8297H3588H8283H8034 16And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants."H1288H5414H1121H1288H1471H4428H5971 17Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. "How could I become a father at the age of 100?" he thought. "And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?"H85H5307H6440H6711H559H3820H3205H3967H8141H1121H8283H8673H8141H1323H3205 18So Abraham said to God, "May Ishmael live under your special blessing!"H85H559H430H3863H3458H2421H6440 19But God replied, "No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant.H430H559H8283H802H3205H1121H61H7121H8034H3327H6965H1285H5769H1285H2233H310 20As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.H3458H8085H1288H6509H7235H3966H3966H6240H8147H5387H3205H5414H1419H1471 21But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year."H1285H6965H3327H8283H3205H4150H312H8141 22When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.H3615H1696H430H5927H85 23On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him.H85H3947H3458H1121H3211H1004H4736H3701H2145H582H85H1004H4135H1320H6190H6106H3117H430H1696 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,H85H8673H8141H1121H8672H4135H1320H6190 25and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen.H3458H1121H6240H7969H8141H1121H4135H1320H6190 26Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day,H6106H3117H85H4135H3458H1121 27along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.H582H1004H3211H1004H4736H3701H1121H5236H4135
Unknown
as a permanent possession.H776
