Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 12

The Call of Abram

¹ The Lord said to Abram:

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.^{(g) 5} He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem,^(h) at the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your offspring."⁽ⁱ⁾ So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to Yahweh there, and he called on the name of Yahweh.^{(j) 9} Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

¹⁰ There was a famine in the land,^(k) so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine in the land was severe. ¹¹ When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.' They will kill me but let you live.^{(l) 13} Please say you're my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account." ¹⁴ When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh's household. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram's wife Sarai.^{(m) 18} So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She's my sister,' so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!" ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had.

Chapter 13

Abram and Lot Separate

¹ Then 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^[a] 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 Yahweh 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 Then 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.^{[b] 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 Jordan Valley^(f) as far as^[c] 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 Jordan Valley 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 of the valley and set up his tent near Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly^[d] 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 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 .

Chapter 14

Abram Rescues Lot

¹ In those days Amraphel king of Shinar,^(a) Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam,^[a](b) and Tidal^[b] king of Goiim^{[c] 2} waged war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim,^(c) as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar^(d)). ³ All of these came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea^(e)). ⁴ They were subject to Chedorlaomer for 12 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^(f) in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham,^(g) the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites^(h) in the mountains of Seir, as far as El-paran⁽ⁱ⁾ by the wilderness. ⁷ Then they came back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh^(j)), and they defeated all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.^(k)

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 Valley of Siddim ⁹ against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them,^[d] but the rest fled to the mountains.^{(l) 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,^(m) and they went on.

¹³ One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew,⁽ⁿ⁾ 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^[e] Abram.