enemies into thine hand. And he be able to number them; And he gave him tithes of all. said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 21 And the king of Sodom said 6 And he believed in the LORD; unto Abram, Give me the persons and he counted it to him for and take the goods to thyself. righteousness. 22 And Abram said to the king 7 And he said unto him, I am of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand the LORD that brought thee out unto the LORD, the most high God, of Ur of the Chaldees, to give the possessor of heaven and earth. thee this land to inherit it. 23 That I will not take from a 8 And he said, LORD Gop, thread, even to a shoe-latchet, whereby shall I know that I shali and that I will not take any thing inherit it? that is thine, * lest thou shouldest 9 And he said unto him, Take say, I have made Abram rich : me an heifer of three years old, 24 Save only that which the and a she-goat of three years old, young men have eaten, § and the and a ram of three years old, and portion of the men which went a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; 10 And he took unto him all let them take their portion. these, and divided them in the CHAP. XV. midst, and laid each piece one 1 Abram is encouraged. 4 A son is against another: but the birds promised. 6. He is justified by faith. divided he not. 7 Canaan is promised again. + 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram AFTER these things the word of drove them away. the LORD came unto Abram in a 12 And when the sun was going vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I down, a deep sleep fell upon I am thy shield, and thy exceed- Abram; and lo an horror of great ing great reward. darkness || fell upon him. 2 And Abram said, LORD God, 13 And he said unto Abram, what wilt thou give me, seeing I Know of a surety that thy seed go childless, and the steward of my shall be a stranger in a land that house is this Eliezer of Damascus? is not theirs, and shall serve them, 3 And Abram said, Behold to me and they shall afflict them four thou hast given no seed: and lo, hundred years. one born in my house is mine heir. 14 And also that nation whom 4 And behold, the word of the they shall serve, will I judge : LORD came unto him, saying, This and afterward shall they come out shall not be thine heir, but he with great substance. that shall come forth out of thine 15 And thou shalt go to thy own bowels shall be thine heir. fathers in peace; thou shalt be 5 And he brought him forth buried in a good old age. abroad, and said, Look now toward 16 But in the fourth generation heaven, and tell the stars, if thou they shall come hither again : for * Here we have a strong instance of the faith and righteousness of Abrain: I will not take any thing though of ever so small a value, lest thou shouldest claim a share in the honor due to God, on whose blessing I firmly rely, and to whom only will I owe my riches, or lest thou shouldest say, Abram is indeed enriched with my spoils, and notwithstanding his pretended kindness, yet may I say, it was his covetousness that put him on this enterprise. $ Abram teacheth us here, that we must not make ourselves generous with other people's property. | For Abram was under some apprehension, lest these kings out of a spirit of revenge might encrease their forces, and suddenly fall upon him; therefore the Lord assured him, that he was his shield, i. e. his protector. į Darkness in the hebrew language is used figuratively to denote trouble and affliction: as light is for joy, gladness and redemption : as the Prophet says, “But the Lord shall be unto thee an 1 טו 2 אֹתִי: 4 4 5 חמישי מִבֶּן צָרִיךְ בְּיָדֶךְ וַיִּתֶּן־לוֹ מַעֲשֶׂר מִכָּל: 21 וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ־ סְדֹם אֶל־אַבְרָם תֶּן־לִי הַנֶפֶשׁ וְהָרְבִשְׁקַח־לָךְ: 22 וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל־מֶלֶךְ סְדָם הֲרִמֹתִי יָדִי אֶל־יְהוָה אֵל עֶלְיוֹן קָנָה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ: 23 אִם־מִחוּט וֶעַד שְׂרְוֹךְ־נַעַל וְאִם־אֶקְח מִכָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָךְ וְלֹא תּאמַר אֲנִי הֶעָשְׁרתִּי אֶת־אַבְרָם : 24 בִּלְעָרֵי רַק אֲשֶׁר אָכְלוּ הַנְעָרִים וְחֵלֶק הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר הָלְכוּ אִתִּי עֲנֵר אֶשְׁכּל וּמַמְרֵא הֵם יִקְחוּ חֶלְקָם : ס אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־אַבְרָם בַּמַּחֲזֶה לֵאמֹר אַל־תִּירָא אַבְרָם אָנֹכִי מָגֵן לָךְ שְׂכָרֵךְ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד: 2 וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה מַה־תִּתֶּן־לִי וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי וּבֶן־מְשֶׁק בֵּיתִי הוּא דַמֶּשֶׂק אֱלִיעֶזֶרֶ: 3 וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם הֵן לִי לֹא נָתַתָּה זָרַע וְהִנֵּה בֶן־בֵּיתִי יוֹרֵשׁ 4 וְהִנֵּה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר לֹא יִירָשֶׁךְ זֶהֶ כִּי־ אִם אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִמָּנֶיךְ הוּא ירָשֶׁךְ : 5 וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה וַיֹּאמֶר הַבֶּט-נָא הַשָׁמַיְמָה וּסְפֿר הַכּוֹכָבִים אִם־תּוּכָל לִסְפֶר אֹתָם וַיֹּאמֶר לֹוֹ כֹּה יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ: 6 וְהֵאָמֵן בַּיהוָה ששי וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לְוֹ צְדָקָה : 7 וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָתֵת לְךָ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַזאת לְרִשְׁתָּהּ: 8 וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוָה בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה : 9 וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו קְחָה לִי עֶגְלָה מְשְׁלֶשֶׁת לֶען מְשֶׁלֶשֶׁת וְאַיִל מִשְׁלָּשׁ וְתֵר וְנוֹזָל:10 וַיַּקַח־לְוֹ אֶת־כָּל־אֵלֶּה וַיְבַתֵּר אֹתָם בַּתָּוֶךְ וַיִּתֵּן אִישׁ־בִּתְרוֹ לִקְרַאת רֵעֶהוּ וְאֶת־הַצפּר לֹא בָתָר: 11 וַיִּרֶד הָעַיִט עַל־הַפְּגָרִים וַיֵּשֶׁב אֹתָם אַבְרָם: 12 וַיְהִי הַשֶׁמֶשׁ לָבוֹא וְתָרְדֵּמָה נָפְלָה עַל־אַבְרָם וְהִנֵּה אֵימָה חֲשֵׁכָה גְדֹלָה נֹפֶלֶת עָלָיו: 13 וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדע תֵּדַעכִּי־גָרִייִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם עֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּעמֵאוֹת שָׁנָה: 14 וְגַם אֶת־הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יִעַבְדוּדֶן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן יַצְאִוּ בִּרְכָשׁגָּדְוֹל: 15 וְאַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶיךָ בְּשָׁלוֹם תּקָבֵר בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה: 16 וְרָוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה 8 ... 14 15 16: king of Admah, and Shemeber of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all king of Zeboiim, and the king of their victuals, and went their way. Belah, which is Zoar. 12 And they took Lot, Abram's 3 All these were joined together brother's son (who dwelt in Sodom) in the vale of Siddim, which is and his goods, and departed. the salt-sea. 13 And there came one that had 4 Twelve years they served escaped, and told Abram the HebChedorlaomer, and in the thir- rew; for he dwelt in the plain of teentlı year * they rebelled. Mamre the - Amorite, brother of 5 And in the fourteenth year Eshcol, and brother of Aner : and came Chedorlaomer, and the kings these were confederate with Abram. that were with him, $ and smote the 14 And when Abram heard Rephaims, in Ashteroth Karnaim, that his brother was taken captive, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the he armed his trained servants, born Emims in Shayah Kiriathaim, in his own house, three hundred 6 And the Horites in their mount and eighteen, and pursued them Seir, unto El-paran, which is by unto Dan, the wilderness. 15 And he divided himself 7 And they returned and came against them, he and his servants to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, by night, and smote them, and and smoţe all the country of the pursued them unto Hobah, which Amalekites, and also the Amorites, is on the left hand of Damascus. that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. 16 And he brought back all the 8 And there went out the king goods, and also brought again his of Sodom, and the king of Gomor brother Lot, and his goods, and rah, and the king of Admah, and the women also, and the people. the king of Zeboiim, and the king 17 And the king of Sodom went of Bela (the same is Zoar) and out to meet him, (after his return they joined battle I with them in from the slaughter of Chedorlathe vale of Siddim; omer, and of the kings that were 9 With Chedorlaomer the king with him) at the valley of Shaveh, of Elam, and with Tidal king of which is the king's dale. nations, and Amraphel king of 18 And Melchizedek king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar: Salem brought forth bread and four kings with five. wine : and he was the priest of the 10 And the vale of Siddim was most high God. full of slime pits; and the kings 19 And he blessed him, and said, of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and Blessed be Abram of the most high fell there : and they that remained God, possessor of heaven and earth: fled to the mountain. 20 And blessed be the most high 11 And they took all the goods God, which hath delivered thine were to enjoy it as an everlasting possession, upon condition of their obedience, as is oft expressed : see Aben Ezra, Nachmanides, &c. * It is doubtful whether this means that they were thirteen years in rebellion, or only the thirteenth year. These came with him as expecting the same assistance from him on a similar case; or were perhaps his tributary kings # It is also doubtful whether this means another battle, besides that mentioned in verse 2, or that it only narrates the particulars that occasioned that battle, and that they both mean but one and the same thing. || It might be rendered, king of GOIM; for they were a people composed of many nations, over whom Tidal reigned, so that Goim imports the name they gave their country in remembrance thereof . Divided his servants into several parties, either that he might be the better able to discover their track; or, that coming suddenly upon them from several quarters, he might strike the greater terror on them. |