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Genesis 14

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1 It happened in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim,

2 that they 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 (the same is Zoar).

3 All these joined together in the valley of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea).

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

5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

7 They returned, and came to En Mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that lived in Hazazon Tamar.

8 The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim;

9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five.

10 Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and those who remained fled to the hills.

11 They took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went their way.

12 They took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 One who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew. Now he lived by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were allies of Abram.

14 When Abram heard that his relative was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.

15 He divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and struck them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative, Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

17 The king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.

19 He blessed him, and said, "blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth:

20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." Abram gave him a tenth of all.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, and take the goods to yourself."

22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,

23 that I will not take a thread nor a sandal strap nor anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'

24 I will accept nothing from you except that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion."

   

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Apocalypse Revealed # 289

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289. "And blessing!" This symbolically means, all these being in Him and from Him in those angels of the lower heavens.

A blessing means every good that a person has from the Lord, such as power and wealth, and everything that accompanies these, but especially every spiritual good, such as love and wisdom, charity and faith, and the accompanying joy and happiness, which have to do with eternal life. And because all of these come from the Lord, it follows that He has them in Him; for if He did not have them in Him, they could not be present in others from Him.

It is for this reason that in the Word the Lord is called blessed, and also a blessing, which is to say, blessing itself.

That Jehovah, or the Lord, is called blessed, is apparent from the following passages:

...the high priest asked (Jesus)..., "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" (Mark 14:61)

(Jesus said,) "you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew 23:39, cf. Luke 13:35)

(Melchizedek) blessed (Abram) and said: ."..blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." (Genesis 14:18-20)

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem... (Genesis 9:26)

Blessed be Jehovah (who) has heard (my) voice... (Psalms 28:6)

Blessed be Jehovah, for He has shown me His marvelous clemency... (Psalms 31:21)

Blessed be Jehovah... from everlasting to everlasting! (Psalms 41:13)

So likewise Psalms 66:20; 68:19, 35; 72:18-19; 89:52; 119:12; 124:6; 135:21; 144:1, Luke 1:68.

It is owing to this that blessing is mentioned in this verse, as again in verse 12, and in chapter 7, 7:12. And in the book of Psalms:

Glory and honor You have placed upon Him, for You have made Him a blessing forever. (Psalms 21:5-6)

The subject is the Lord.

[2] It can be seen from this what blessing God means in the Word: that it is to attribute all blessing to Him, to pray for Him to bless, and to thank Him for blessing, as can be seen from the following passages:

(Zacharias's) mouth was opened... and he spoke, blessing God. (Luke 1:64, 68)

(Simeon) took (the infant Jesus) up in his arms and blessed God... (Luke 2:28, 30-31)

I will bless Jehovah who has given me counsel. (Psalms 16:7)

...bless (Jehovah's) name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. (Psalms 96:1-3)

Blessed be the Lord from day to day... Bless God in the congregations, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. (Psalms 68:19, 26)

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.