The Daily Audio Bible
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5 Lot, who had been traveling with Abram, also had his own sheep, cattle, and tents. 6 There wasn’t enough pastureland for both of them. They had so many possessions that they were unable to remain together. 7 Quarrels broke out between Abram’s herders and Lot’s herders. (Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in that area.)
8 Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have any more quarrels between us or between our herders. After all, we’re relatives. 9 Isn’t all this land yours also? Let’s separate. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right, and if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” 10 Then Lot looked in the direction of Zoar as far as he could see. He saw that the whole Jordan Plain was well-watered like the Lord’s garden or like Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
11 Lot chose the whole Jordan Plain for himself. He moved toward the east. They each went their own way. 12 Abram lived in Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain, moving his tents as far as Sodom. 13 (The people who lived in Sodom were very wicked. They committed terrible sins against the Lord.)
The Lord’s Third Promise to Abram
14 After Lot left, the Lord said to Abram, “Look north, south, east, and west of where you are. 15 I will give all the land you see to you and to your descendants for an indefinite period of time. 16 I will also give you as many descendants as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then he could also count your descendants. 17 Go! Walk back and forth across the entire land because I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live by the oak trees belonging to Mamre at Hebron. There he built an altar for the Lord.
Abram Rescues Lot
14 At that time ⌞four kings⌟—King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim— 2 went to war against ⌞five kings⌟—King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 The five kings joined forces and met in the valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea). 4 For 12 years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and his allies came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the Emim at Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, going as far as El Paran on the edge of the desert. 7 On their way back, they came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites and also the Amorites who were living at Hazazon Tamar.
8 Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and prepared for battle in the valley of Siddim. 9 They fought against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 The valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. As the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell because of the tar pits, but the other kings fled to the hills. 11 So the four kings took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as all their food, and left. 12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions since he was living in Sodom.
13 Then a soldier who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew what had happened. He was living next to the oak trees belonging to Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner. (These men were Abram’s allies.)
14 When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his 318 trained men, born in his own household, and pursued the four kings all the way to Dan. 15 He split up his men to attack them at night. He defeated them, pursuing them all the way to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 He brought back everything they had, including women and soldiers. He also brought back his relative Lot and his possessions.
Melchizedek Blesses Abram
17 After Abram came back from defeating Chedorlaomer and his allies, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Then King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed Abram, and said,
“Blessed is Abram by God Most High,
maker [a] of heaven and earth.
20 Blessed is God Most High,
who has handed your enemies over to you.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and keep everything else for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I now raise my hand and solemnly swear to the Lord God Most High, maker of heaven and earth, 23 that I won’t take a thread or a sandal strap. I won’t take anything that is yours so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I won’t take one single thing except what my men have eaten. But let my allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
The Lord’s Fourth Promise to Abram
15 Later the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision. He said,
“Abram, don’t be afraid.
I am your shield.
Your reward will be very great.” [b]
2 Abram asked, “Almighty Lord, what will you give me? Since I’m going to die without children, Eliezer of Damascus will inherit my household. 3 You have given me no children, so this member of my household will be my heir.”
4 Suddenly, the Lord spoke his word to Abram again. He said, “This man will not be your heir. Your own son will be your heir.” 5 He took Abram outside and said, “Now look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He also said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 6 Then Abram believed the Lord, and that faith was regarded as the basis of Abram’s approval by the Lord. 7 Then the Lord said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land so that you will take possession of it.”
8 Abram asked, “Almighty Lord, how can I be certain that I will take possession of it?”
9 He answered Abram, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a mourning dove, and a pigeon.” 10 So Abram brought all these animals to him. He cut each of them in half and laid each half opposite the other. However, he did not cut the birds in half.
11 When birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was just about to set, a deep sleep—a dreadful, deep darkness—came over Abram.
13 God said to Abram, “You can know for sure that your descendants will live in a land that is not their own, where they will be slaves, and they will be oppressed for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve, and after that they will come out with many possessions. 15 But you will die in peace and be buried at a very old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, because the sin of the Amorites will not have run its course until then.”
17 The sun had gone down, and it was dark. Suddenly a smoking oven and a flaming torch passed between the animal pieces. 18 At that time the Lord made a promise [c] to Abram. He said, “I will give this land to your descendants. This is the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates. 19 It is the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
About Sexual Sin
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Never commit adultery.’ 28 But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart.
29 “So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it go into hell.
31 “It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice.’ 32 But I can guarantee that any man who divorces his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness makes her look as though she has committed adultery. Whoever marries a woman divorced in this way makes himself look as though he has committed adultery.
About Oaths
33 “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.’ 34 But I tell you don’t swear an oath at all. Don’t swear an oath by heaven, which is God’s throne, 35 or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. 36 And don’t swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. 37 Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.
Love Your Enemies(A)
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to oppose an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well. 40 If someone wants to sue you in order to take your shirt, let him have your coat too. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. 42 Give to everyone who asks you for something. Don’t turn anyone away who wants to borrow something from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. 45 In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. 46 If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! 47 Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! 48 That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments, on the sheminith; [a] a psalm by David.
6 O Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have pity on me, O Lord, because I am weak.
Heal me, O Lord, because my bones shake with terror.
3 My soul has been deeply shaken with terror.
But you, O Lord, how long … ?
4 Come back, O Lord.
Rescue me.
Save me because of your mercy!
5 In death, no one remembers you.
In the grave, who praises you?
6 I am worn out from my groaning.
My eyes flood my bed every night.
I soak my couch with tears.
7 My eyes blur from grief.
They fail because of my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all you troublemakers,
because the Lord has heard the sound of my crying.
9 The Lord has heard my plea for mercy.
The Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be put to shame and deeply shaken with terror.
In a moment they will retreat and be put to shame.
29 because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 They refused my advice.
They despised my every warning.
31 They will eat the fruit of their lifestyle.
They will be stuffed with their own schemes.
32 “Gullible people kill themselves because of their turning away.
Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference.
33 But whoever listens to me will live without worry
and will be free from the dread of disaster.”
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