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
Ashteroth-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 Sodom—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. Abram 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.
After
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).
And
Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought
Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And 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.
The
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.”
Abram
replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven
and earth, that 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.’ I 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.”
Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch
of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. Now
the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must
collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants
of Abraham.
But
Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham.
And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already
received the promises of God. And
without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater
than the one who is blessed.
~ Source: Genesis 14:1-24, Hebrews 7:4-7 [Holy Bible
- NLT] from https://www.biblegateway.com
No comments:
Post a Comment