Genesis 13

Abram and his nephew Lot split up

1So Abram, Sarai, and Lot left Egypt and went back to the dry desert country. They took everything they owned, and all their workers. 2Abram was a very rich man. He had a lot of silver and gold, and a big mob of animals.

3They were in that dry desert country for a while, then they went north from place to place until they got back to the town called Bethel. They camped in the same place that they camped at before. It was between Bethel and the town called Ayi. 4That was the place where Abram built a special stone table to burn animals, to show respect to God. After Abram got back there, he prayed to God, and he called God by his special name Yahweh.

5Abram and his nephew Lot were still together. And Lot also had a big mob of sheep, and goats, and cows, and bulls. And he had a lot of tents for all his workers, too. 6-7But there was a problem. There were other people already living in that country. They were called the Canaan mob, and the Periz mob. And they had animals too, and all those animals needed grass and water, as well as Abram’s animals, and Lot’s animals too. But there wasn’t enough grass and water in that place for all those animals. So Abram’s work-men and Lot’s work-men started to argue and fight with each other about whose animals got the grass and water. 8Then Abram said to Lot, “I don’t like this trouble. You and me, we are family, and I don’t want trouble between us. And I don’t want our work-men to argue and fight with each other. 9Look, there is a lot of country here. Just look around, and you will see that there’s plenty of country for both of us. So I reckon we have to split up. I want you to pick the part of the country you want, and then I will go somewhere else. If you pick the country to the east, then I will go to the country to the west, but if you pick the west country, then I will go to the east country.”

10Lot looked to the east, towards a town called Zoar, in the flat country around the Jordan River. He saw that the flat country had plenty of grass and water. It looked just like God’s garden, and like the country in Egypt. (That was before God burned up the towns in the flat country called Sodom and Gomorrah.#Genesis 19:24) 11-12So Lot picked the flat country around the Jordan River, to the east.

Then Abram did what he promised, and he went to the country called Canaan. In that way, Lot’s mob and Abram’s mob went to different places, and there was no more trouble between their work-men.

Lot went to the flat country around the Jordan River. There were some towns there, and Lot camped near the town called Sodom. 13The people that lived in Sodom were very bad. They were always going against God, and they did bad things all the time.

God made a promise to Abram

14Then, after Lot left, God said to Abram, “Look at all the country around you. Look to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and to the west. 15I will give you all the country that you can see. Later on, you will have a son and lots of people will be born into his family, and they will own all this country, for ever.#Acts 7:5 16Look at the ground you are standing on, it has lots of little bits of dirt. Nobody can count all those little bits of dirt on the ground, and just like that, nobody will be able to count all the people that will be in your family later on. 17All right, Abram, I want you to get up and walk all around the country that I’m giving you, and look at it all properly.”

18So Abram went to the big trees that belonged to a man called Mamreh, near a town called Hebron, and he camped there. He piled up stones there and made another special table with a flat top, so that he could burn animals to show respect to God.

Genesis 13

CHAPTER 13

1Therefore Abram ascended from Egypt, he, and his wife, and all things that he had; and Lot went with him, to the south coast.

2Forsooth he was full rich in possessions of silver, and of gold.

3And he turned again by the way in which he came from the south into Bethel, till to the place, in which before he had set a tabernacle, betwixt Bethel and Hai,

4in the place of the altar which he made before, and inwardly called there the name of the Lord.

5But also flocks of sheep, and droves of oxen, and tabernacles were to Lot, that was with Abram;

6and the land might not take them, that they should dwell together, for the cattle of them was much, and they might not dwell in common.

7Wherefore also strife was made betwixt the keepers of [the] flocks of Abram and of Lot. Forsooth Canaanites and Perizzites dwelled in that land in that time.

8Therefore Abram said to Lot, I beseech thee, that no strife be betwixt me and thee, and betwixt my shepherds and thy shepherds; for we be brethren.

9Lo! all the land is before thee, I beseech, depart thou from me; if thou go to the left side, I shall hold the right side; if thou choose the right side, I shall go to the left side.

10And so Lot raised [up] his eyes, and saw about all the country of Jordan, which was all-moisted, before that the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, as paradise of the Lord, and as Egypt, as men come into Zoar.

11And Lot chose to him the country about Jordan, and departed from the east; and they were parted each from his brother.

12Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan; soothly Lot dwelled in [the] towns about Jordan, and abode in Sodom.

13Forsooth men of Sodom were full wicked, and sinners greatly before the Lord.

14And the Lord said to Abram, after that Lot was parted from him, Raise [up] thine eyes forthright, and see from the place in which thou art now, to the north and south, to the east and west;

15I shall give all the land which thou seest to thee, and to thy seed, till into without end.

16And I shall make thy seed as the dust of the earth; if any man may number the dust of the earth, also he shall be able to number thy seed.

17Therefore rise thou, and pass through the land in his length and breadth, for I shall give it to thee.

18Therefore Abram, moving his tabernacle, came and dwelled beside the valley of Mamre, which is in Hebron; and he builded there an altar to the Lord.

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Genesis 13

Genesis 13