¹⁷ After defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, Abram went home. As Abram was returning, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh. (That is now called King’s Valley.)

¹⁸ Melchizedek king of Salem also went to meet Abram. Melchizedek was a priest for God Most High. He brought bread and wine. ¹⁹ Melchizedek blessed Abram and said,

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had brought back from the battle.

²¹ Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “You may keep all these things for yourself. Just give me my people who were captured.”

²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I make a promise to the Lord. He is the God Most High, who made heaven and earth. ²³ I promise that I will not keep anything that is yours. I will not keep even a thread or a sandal strap. That way you cannot say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ ²⁴ I will keep nothing but the food my young men have eaten. But give Aner, Eshcol and Mamre their share of what we won. They went with me into battle.”