1So Abram left Egypt and went back into the Negev along with Sarai, Lot, and everyone with them, as well as all their possessions. 2Abram was very rich, having many herds of livestock and a great deal of silver and gold. 3He left the Negev and traveled in stages to Bethel, back to the place where he'd camped before, between Bethel and Ai. 4This was where he'd first built an altar. He worshiped the Lord there as he had done previously.

5Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had many flocks, herds, and tents, 6so much so that the available land couldn't support both of them—they had so much livestock they couldn't stay together anymore. 7Abram's and Lot's herdsmen were arguing, and in addition the Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

8So Abram said to Lot, “Please don't let's have arguments between us, or between our herdsmen, because we're family. 9You see all this land that's available right in front of you? We have to split up. If you choose to go to the left, I'll go to the right. If you choose to go to the right, I'll go to the left.”

10Lot looked over the whole Jordan valley towards Zoar, and saw that it was well-watered, looking like the Garden of Eden, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11So Lot chose the whole Jordan valley and went east, and the two separated from each other. 12Abram went to live in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled down among the towns in the valley, setting up his tents near Sodom. 13(The people of Sodom were very wicked, committing terrible sins that offended the Lord.)

14After separating from Lot, the Lord told Abram, “Look around you from where you're standing, to the north, south, east, and west. 15I'm giving all this land you see to you and your descendants forever. 16You will have so many descendants that they'll be like the dust of the earth. If anyone could count dust then they could count the number of your descendants! 17Go and walk through the whole land in all directions because I'm giving it to you.”

18So Abram went to live at Hebron, setting up his tents among the oaks at Mamre, where he built an altar to the Lord.

Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com

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Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate

1Abram went north out of Egypt to the southern part of Canaan with his wife and everything he owned, and Lot went with him. 2Abram was a very rich man, with sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as silver and gold. 3Then he left there and moved from place to place, going toward Bethel. He reached the place between Bethel and Ai where he had camped before 4and had built an altar. There he worshiped the Lord.

5Lot also had sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as his own family and servants. 6And so there was not enough pasture land for the two of them to stay together, because they had too many animals. 7So quarrels broke out between the men who took care of Abram's animals and those who took care of Lot's animals. (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were still living in the land.)

8Then Abram said to Lot, “We are relatives, and your men and my men shouldn't be quarreling. 9So let's separate. Choose any part of the land you want. You go one way, and I'll go the other.”

10 # Gn 2.10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar, had plenty of water, like the Garden of the Lord#13.10: Garden of the Lord: A reference to the Garden of Eden. or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself and moved away toward the east. That is how the two men parted. 12Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled among the cities in the valley and camped near Sodom, 13whose people were wicked and sinned against the Lord.

Abram Moves to Hebron

14After Lot had left, the Lord said to Abram, “From where you are, look carefully in all directions. 15#Ac 7.5 I am going to give you and your descendants all the land that you see, and it will be yours forever. 16I am going to give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all; it would be as easy to count all the specks of dust on earth! 17Now, go and look over the whole land, because I am going to give it all to you.” 18So Abram moved his camp and settled near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)

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Genesis 13

Genesis 13