Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 12

The Call of Abram

¹ The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household^(a) to the land^(b) I will show you.^(c)

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot⁽ⁱ⁾ went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old^(j) when he set out from Harran.^{(k) 5} He took his wife Sarai,^(l) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated^(m) and the people⁽ⁿ⁾ they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,^(o) and they arrived there.

⁶ Abram traveled through the land^(p) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh^(q) at Shechem.^(r) At that time the Canaanites^(s) were in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram^(t) and said, "To your offspring^[c] I will give this land.^(u)"^(v) So he built an altar there to the Lord ,^(w) who had appeared to him.

⁸ From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel^(x) and pitched his tent,^(y) with Bethel on the west and Ai^(z) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord .^(aa)

⁹ Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.^(ab)

Abram in Egypt^(ac)

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land,^(ad) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.^{(ae) 11} As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,^(af) "I know what a beautiful woman^(ag) you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister,^(ah) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.^{(ai) 15} And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.^(aj)

¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted^(ak) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household^(al) because of Abram's wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?"^(am) he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?^{(an) 19} Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,'^(ao) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Chapter 13

Abram and Lot Separate

¹ So Abram went up from Egypt^(a) to the Negev,^(b) with his wife and everything he had, and Lot^(c) went with him. ² Abram had become very wealthy^(d) in livestock^(e) and in silver and gold.

³ From the Negev^(f) he went from place to place until he came to Bethel,^(g) to the place between Bethel and Ai^(h) where his tent had been earlier ⁴ and where he had first built an altar.⁽ⁱ⁾ There Abram called on the name of the Lord .^(j)

⁵ Now Lot,^(k) who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.^{(l) 7} And quarreling^(m) arose between Abram's herders and Lot's. The Canaanites⁽ⁿ⁾ and Perizzites^(o) were also living in the land^(p) at that time.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot,^(q) "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me,^(r) or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.^{(s) 9} Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."^(t)

¹⁰ Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain^(u) of the Jordan toward Zoar^(v) was well watered, like the garden of the Lord ,^(w) like the land of Egypt.^(x) (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom^(y) and Gomorrah.)^{(z) 11} So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan,^(aa) while Lot^(ab) lived among the cities of the plain^(ac) and pitched his tents near Sodom.^{(ad) 13} Now the people of Sodom^(ae) were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord .^(af)

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.^{(ag) 15} All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring^[a] forever.^{(ah) 16} I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.^{(ai) 17} Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land,^(aj) for I am giving it to you."^(ak)

¹⁸ So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre^(al) at Hebron,^(am) where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord .^(an)

Chapter 14

Abram Rescues Lot

¹ At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar,^[a](a) Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer^(b) king of Elam^(c) and Tidal king of Goyim, ² these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim,^(d) and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).^{(e) 3} All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim^(f) (that is, the Dead Sea Valley^(g)). ⁴ For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer,^(h) but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

⁵ In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer⁽ⁱ⁾ and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites^(j) in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites^(k) in Shaveh Kiriathaim ⁶ and the Horites^(l) in the hill country of Seir,^(m) as far as El Paran⁽ⁿ⁾ near the desert. ⁷ Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh),^(o) and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites,^(p) as well as the Amorites^(q) who were living in Hazezon Tamar.^(r)

⁸ Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah,^(s) the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim^(t) and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar)^(u) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim^{(v) 9} against Kedorlaomer^(w) king of Elam,^(x) Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim^(y) was full of tar^(z) pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah^(aa) fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills.^{(ab) 11} The four kings seized all the goods^(ac) of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. ¹² They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot^(ad) and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

¹³ A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.^(ae) Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre^(af) the Amorite, a brother^[b] of Eshkol^(ag) and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.