Setting: Genesis 14:15-16
Scouts from Laish reported that the Mesopotamians and their captives continued to march slowly north along the Kings Highway. With this report, we skirted Mount Hermon on her west, rather than her east side. This was by far a more treacherous route, but by it we avoided the detection of whatever Elamite scouts might be stationed along the King’s Highway, and we avoided the precarious situation of crossing the Pharpar while in proximity to the enemy.
As it turned out, this strategy worked strongly in our favor, for it was not we, but they, that were bound by the Pharpar when our paths did cross. When we saw that evening was falling and they did not cross, we concluded that they would wait until the next day to do so, and so we lay in silent wait until nightfall. Then we descended upon them from the hills, our attack having been completely unanticipated by the enemy.
We were nearly within their camp before we were detected at all, and we fell upon the enemy fiercely, slaying those in Mesopotamian military garb with ferocity. The men of Abram and of Kiriath-Arba were well trained in comparison to Cheforlaomer’s wicked army. We lost a few men, but the enemy, though armed with then times the number of fighting men, was put to flight by our surprise attack and our skill and ferocity with sword and spear.
We pushed them into the river where they stumbled and fled, and we continued pursuing them hotly unto the great city of Damascus. It was a pitiful sight, that they should keep to the road as the slaughter continued, yet those who would turn aside to the wilderness on the left or the right were intercepted by Mamre or by Eschol, who designated themselves for this purpose.
Damascus was of course by no means interested in harboring the fleeing army, and so we routed them westward, into the hill country. There at last, night having given way to day, and day to afternoon, we made a final end of them, in utter exhaustion at the heat of the day, outside of the town of Hobah. The inhabitants of that town offered them no sanctuary either, for the armies of Mesopotamia are not likely to be viewed favorably by Canaanites nor by Syrians.
I saw Abram pursue Chedorlaomer himself, and thrust him through with a great spear so that he fell and died with a great cry. His army was ruined. We had won.