Old/New Testament
Abram and Lot Separate
13 Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev(A)—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, 4 to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of the Lord there.(B)
5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6 But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together,(C) 7 and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.(D) (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.)(E)
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. 9 Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”
10 Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain[a] of the Jordan(F) as far as Zoar(G) was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden(H) and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)(I) 11 So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on the plain and set up his tent near Sodom. 13 (Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely[b] against the Lord.)(J)
14 After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west,(K) 15 for I will give you and your offspring[c] forever all the land that you see.(L) 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth,(M) so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron,(N) where he built an altar to the Lord.
Abram Rescues Lot
14 In those days King Amraphel of Shinar,(O) King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam,(P) and King Tidal of Goiim[d] 2 waged war against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, and King Shemeber of Zeboiim,(Q) as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar(R)). 3 All of these came as allies to the Siddim Valley (that is, the Dead Sea(S)). 4 They were subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim(T) in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham,(U) the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites(V) in the mountains of Seir, as far as El-paran(W) by the wilderness. 7 Then they came back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh(X)), and they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.(Y)
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and lined up for battle in the Siddim Valley 9 against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Siddim Valley contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them,[e] but the rest fled to the mountains.(Z) 11 The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and went on. 12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, for he was living in Sodom,(AA) and they went on.
13 One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew,(AB) who lived near the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled[f] his 318 trained men, born in his household,(AC) and they went in pursuit as far as Dan.(AD) 15 And he and his servants deployed against them by night, defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah to the north of Damascus. 16 He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.
Melchizedek’s Blessing
17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley(AE)). 18 Melchizedek, king of Salem,[g](AF) brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.(AG) 19 He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator[h] of heaven and earth,
20 and blessed be God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.(AH)
21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share.”
The Abrahamic Covenant
15 After these events, the word of the Lord came(AI) to Abram in a vision:
your reward will be very great.
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” [i] 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in[j] my house will be my heir.”
4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body[k] will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”(AL)
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.(AM)
7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”(AN)
8 But he said, “Lord God, how can I know(AO) that I will possess it?”
9 He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10 So he brought all these to him, cut them in half, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds(AP) in half. 11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep(AQ) came over Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.
13 Then the Lord said to Abram,(AR) “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens(AS) for four hundred years(AT) in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.[l] 14 However, I will judge the nation they serve,(AU) and afterward they will go out with many possessions.(AV) 15 But you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.(AW) 16 In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”[m](AX)
17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring,(AY) from the Brook of Egypt(AZ) to the great river, the Euphrates River: 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
The Sermon on the Mount
5 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain,(A) and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then[a] he began to teach them, saying:(B)
The Beatitudes
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,(C)
for the kingdom of heaven(D) is theirs.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,(E)
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the humble,(F)
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,(G)
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.(H)
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.(I)
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.(J)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for the kingdom of heaven(K) is theirs.
11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted(L) the prophets who were before you.(M)
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?[b] It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.(N)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.(O) 15 No one lights a lamp(P) and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.(Q) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.(R)
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.(S) 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter[c] or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.(T) 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder,[d](U) and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.(V) 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister[e] will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults[f] his brother or sister will be subject to the court.[g] Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.[h](W) 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to[i] the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.(X) 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.[j]
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