THE FOUR KINGS
CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In the time of Thadal king of Goyyim and Arioch king of Ellasar,
Chodorlahomar king of Elam, and Amraphel king of Sennaar,
these kings waged war against Bara, who was then the king of Sodom,
and against Senaab the king of Adama, Segor of Bala and Semeber 
	of Seboim.
These other kings formed an alliance in the valley of Sikkim, 
	the Salt Sea.
For twelve years they had been subject to Elam, but in the thirteenth,
	they rebelled to be free.
But in the fourteenth year came Chodorlahomor and his allied kings
	with him
and conquered all those in their way until the five kings rose up
	against them.
Now the valley of Siddim was full of pits of bitumen and when 
	these kings fled,
some fell there, but the rest fled to the mountains, lest in defeat,
	they all be left dead.
The victors took all of the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and went	
	on their way;
they also took Lot, Abram's nephew, with them, who had gone 
	near Sodom to stay.
Then a fugitive came and reported to Abram the Hebrew who was 
	living near by
the terebinths of Mamre, kin of Eschol and Aner; these were Abram's
	Amorrite allies. 
When Abram heard that Lot was a prisoner, he called out 
	three hundred eighteen trained men
born of his house and went out in pursuit of this army as far off
	as Dan.
He formed parties and went out and beat them at night and pursued
	them into defeat,
and recovered all the goods and his kinsman Lot, and returning,
	Sodom's king went to meet
Abram in the valley of Save to greet him - - that is, the valley 
	of the king.
And the king of Salem, a priest named Melshisedec, brought out 
	bread and wine and did sing:
"Blessed be Abram by the most High God, creator of Heaven and earth.
Blessed be the Most High God, who delivered your enemies 
	into your girth."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything, but the king of Sodom
	then said,
"Give me the people and keep all the goods," but Abram answered,
	instead,
"I raise my hand in oath to the Lord God, creator of Heaven and earth,
that I will not take thread of sandalstrap that are yours, or anything
	else that has worth,
lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich;' nothing but what 
	the young men have eaten.
Let Aner, Eschol, and Mamre take their share, but not I, from those
	we have beaten."


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