GENESIS 14 - THE BELOVED AND I

Genesis 14

1 When Amraphel was king of Shinar,

And Arioch king of Ellasar,

And Chedorlaomer enshriner

Of Elam, and Tidal so far

The king of the Goyim, 2 they made

War with Bera king of Sodom,

Birsha king in Gomorrah strayed,

Shinab of Admah, Shemeber

King of Zeboiim, and the fer

King of Bela, that is, Zoar.

3 All these joined battle in the Vale

Of Siddim where now salts prevail.

4 Twelve years they served and in the year

Thirteen they shed Chedorlaomer.

5 The next year Chedorlaomer came

And the kings with him just the same

Attacking the Rephaim there

In Ashtoreth Karnaim, where

The Zuzim had gathered in Ham,

The Emim too and without sham

In Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and

The Horites in their mountain stand

Of Seir, down to El Paran

Beside the wilderness, 7 began

Their way back there by En Mishpat,

That is, Kadesh, and then fell flat

On all the land of Amelek

And then subdued the stubborn neck

Of all the Amorites whose fire

Was lit in Hazezon Tamar.



The kings who seek a tribute and their taxes

Form coalitions, allied powers, and axis

And go to war to help democracy,

They cross the deserts and the rolling sea

To ferret out of mountain wilderness

The people whose wealth they truly confess

Should be their own. I stand on Seir and gaze

Across miles of uninhabited maze

Of oak and maple and think what will come

Of this campaign or that for centuries

The same. The generations die, life flees

To dandelion holes to reappear

As soon as danger's past, and without fear,

Beloved, to raise a golden head and hum.



8 And kings of Sodom and Gomorrah,

The king of Admah without Torah,

The kings of Zeboiim and Bela,

That is, Zoar, to the last fellow

Went out and gathered for the battle

In Vale of Siddim, like drawn cattle,

9 Against Chedorlaomer king

Of Elam, Tidal also king

Of the Goyim, Amraphel king

Of Shinar, and Arioch the king

Of Ellasar, four kings to five.

10 Now the Valley of Siddim's drive

Was full of asphalt pits, and so

When Sodom and Gomorrah fled,

Some fell there, others had to go

Into the mountains. 11Then they took

The goods of Sodom and Gomorrah,

All their provisions, then they shook

Their heels as though off to Andorra.

12 And they took Abram's brother's son,

Lot, who lived in Sodom for fun,

And his goods, and left on the run.



There are but two great sources of what men

Desire, Beloved, and these are labour and

The goods the labourer produces. Then

As now I see the presidents command

War to procure the wealth of those who make

And what they make for earth and heaven's sake.

And so they took the people and the goods

From Sodom and Gomorrah, left the woods

And valleys well-provided. The best way

Avoiding such attack is not to stay

To make or have, but sink in poverty,

And live on water and on acorns, free

To all as long as no pollutions sink

The world from where it stands upon the brink.



13 Then one who had escaped came by

And told Abram the Hebrew why,

For he lived by the terebinth

Trees of Mamre the Amorite,

Brother of Eshcol and the right

Brother of Aner, colocynthe

They were to each other, allies

With Abram. 14 Now with such good ties

When Abram heard his relative

Was taken captive, as I live,

He armed three hundred and eighteen

Trained men born in his own demesne,

And went pursuing up to Dan,

With every faithful partisan.



The art of war was forged in secret by

Your faithful Abraham, who with the cry

Of three hundred and eighteen warriors could

Without bloodshed rout armies that withstood

Five kings and more. Beloved, let me take up

The battle for the king of Salem's cup.

Whether there be three hundred here or more

I join in arms, the sword of tongue in store,

Throat swelling with the cantillation of

Your exquisite names spoken here in love.

The martial art You taught to David finds

Its roots in Abraham, as all that binds.

Its vast engagements meet from breath to breath

And fearlessly go onward into death.



15 At night he separated all

His forces and then gave the call

To attack and pursue them to

Hobah, north of Damascus' view.

16 So he brought back both all the goods,

His brother Lot, also his goods,

The women and the people too.

17 The king of Sodom went straight out

To meet him at the Valley of

Shaveh, King's Valley, without doubt,

When he came back from defeat of

Chedorlaomer and the kings who

Were with him. 18 King of Salem too,

Melchizedek, and with both bread

And grape juice, let it thus be said,

No proof of alcohol is nigh,

And he was priest of God Most High.

19 And he blessed him and said "Blessed be

Abram of God Most High, and He

Possesses heaven and earth, 20 And blessed

Be God Most High, who gave you rest

And victory from enemy."

So he gave him a portion's hest.



A funny thing it seems to be that Your

Command that every man should bless the store

Of Abraham went round the world and sank

Into the consciousness and habits rank

And file. At least Melchizedek came out

And first of all blessed Abraham, no doubt

He knew his own worth and survival meant

That he acknowledge the one man You sent.

Beloved, I too bless Abraham today,

Though I live here millennia away.

The eye upon the past is not mere folly,

Inertia, but the second sight, by golly,

And second eye that gives depth to my seeing

Beyond the flat and clutter of world's being.



21 Now king of Sodom said to him,

To Abram since the times were grim,

"Give me the persons, take the goods

For yourself, I'm out of the woods."

22 But Abram said to king of Sodom,

"I've raised my hand to YHWH, don't prod 'em,

To God Most High the One who holds

Both heaven and earth, and who beholds

23 "That I will take nothing from you,

Not thread nor strap nor sandal shoe,

Lest you should say, 'Abram got rich

When I and mine fell in the ditch,"

24 "Except just what the men have eaten,

And those who went with me unbeaten,

Eshcol and Mamre and Aner,

Let those three men take all their share."



The booty of the war is in the hand,

At the discretion, by the Lord's command,

Of Your appointed to do as he will.

Your Abraham had right to all, and still

He gave the wicked Sodom all his own,

And to his allies just shares not in loan.

Your friend relinquished all rights to the store

Of wealth, that no one might find grief or door

To criticise or gloat. There is but One

Of true wealth when the longer battle's done:

Beloved, You are possessor of both earth

And heaven, the mighty God, no thing of worth

Escapes Your hand or knowing, who created

All worlds here, and for You all things were fated.