Verses 11-12 describe the results of the victory of the four kings, which concludes the battle report. As in verse 10, only Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned as being plundered.

So the enemy took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah: enemy represents Hebrew “they,” which could wrongly appear to refer back to the defeated kings. Speiser says “the invaders,” Good News Translation “the four kings,” Bible en français courant “the conquerors.” In some languages it may be necessary to fill in some of the action that the Hebrew narrative passes over at this point; for example, “Chedorlaomer and his friends won the battle, and then they went and took…” or “The four kings went into the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah and took….”

Goods translates the same word used for possessions in 12.5 and 13.6. It refers to every movable thing in the cities—baggage, animals, and people. Provisions translates the Hebrew word for “food.” Good News Translation expresses verse 11 well: “The four kings took everything in Sodom and Gomorrah, including the food, and went away.”

Translators may find it best to avoid saying twice that the four kings went their way (see “and departed” in verse 12). If this expression is dropped in verse 11, a smoother linkage with verse 12 can often be made.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .