RLDS Chapter Context

Intro: Melchizedek blesses Abram, and gives him bread and wine -- Lot taken captive, is rescued by Abram -- The priesthood -- Abram pays tithes to Melchizedek, keeper of the Lord's storehouse.

1 And it came to pass, in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;

2 That these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea;

4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which was by the wilderness.

6 And they returned and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, in Hazezontamar.

7 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar;

8 And they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.

9 And the vale of Siddim was filled with slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain which was called Hanabal.

10 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.

11 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed.

12 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, the man of God, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram.

13 And when Abram heard that Lot, his brother's son, was taken captive, he armed his trained men, and they which were born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued unto Dan.

14 And he divided himself against them, he and his men, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which was on the left hand of Damascus.

15 And he brought back Lot, his brother's son, and all his goods, and the women also, and the people.

16 And the king of Sodom also went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which was the king's dale.

17 And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he break bread and blest it; and he blest the wine, he being the priest of the most high God,

18 And he gave to Abram, and he blessed him, and said, Blessed Abram, thou art a man of the most high God, possessor of heaven and of earth;

19 And blessed is the name of the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand.

20 And Abram gave him tithes of all he had taken.

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.

23 And have sworn that I will not take of thee from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, (lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich;)

24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Ener, Eschol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

25 And Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram.

26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.

27 And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

28 It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;

29 And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

31 To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

32 And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

33 And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace.

34 And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world;

35 And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire.

36 And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.

37 And he lifted up his voice, and he blessed Abram, being the high priest, and the keeper of the storehouse of God;

38 Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor.

39 Wherefore, Abram paid unto him tithes of all that he had, of all the riches which he possessed, which God had given him more than that which he had need.

40 And it came to pass, that God blessed Abram, and gave unto him riches, and honor, and lands for an everlasting possession; according to the covenant which he had made, and according to the blessing wherewith Melchizedek had blessed him.