Melchizedek Blesses Abram

14:17-24

17 After Abram defeated King Chedorlaomer and the other three kings who were Chedorlaomer’s allies, he started to return home. When he reached the Shaveh Valley, which is also called the King’s Valley, the king over the city of Sodom came there and welcomed him. 18 Melchizedek who was the king over the city of Salem also came there, and he brought food and wine for Abram and his men to eat and drink. King Melchizedek was also a priest who served the God who is greater than all other gods. 19 So he blessed Abram by saying to him,

“May the greatest God, who owns heaven and earth, bless you.

20 Praise the greatest God,

because he enabled you to defeat your enemies!”

Then Abram gave King Melchizedek ten percent of everything that he had recovered in the battle. 21 After that, the king over the city of Sodom said to Abram, “Please return to me the people whom you rescued, but keep for yourself their belongings that you recovered.” 22 But Abram replied to him, “I raise my hand and swear to Yahweh, who is the greatest God and the One who owns heaven and earth, 23 that I will not accept anything that is yours or your people’s, not even a piece of string or the strap from a sandal. That way you can never say that you were the one who made me rich. 24 So I will only keep what my warriors ate and the part of the plunder that Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre deserve for being my allies. Please let them have their part of the plunder.”