Abram and Lot Part Ways

1Abram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his householda —including Lot—to the Negev.b

2Now Abram had become quite wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold. 3He journeyed by stages from the Negevc to Bethel, the place where his tent had formerly been, between Bethel and Ai, 4where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

5Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks of sheep, herds, and tents. 6But the land could not support them living together, because they had so many livestock that they could not stay together. 7There was strife between the herdsmen in charge of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen in charge of Lot’s livestock. Also, at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

8So Abram told Lot, “Please, let’s not have strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.d 9Isn’t the whole land available to you? Let’s separate: If you goe to the left, then I will go to the right; if you gof to the right, then I will go to the left.”

10Lot looked around and noticed that the whole Jordan plain as far as Zoar was well-watered like the garden of the LORD or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan plain. Then Lot traveled eastward, and they separated from each other.

12So Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent in the vicinity of Sodom. 13Now the men of Sodom were particularly evil and sinful in their defiance ofg the LORD.

14After Lot had separated from Abram, the LORD told Abram, “Look off to the north, southh , east, and westi from where you’re living, 15because I’m going to give you and your descendants all of the land that you see—forever! 16I’ll make your descendants as plentiful asj the specks ofk dust of the earth, so that if one could count the specks ofl dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted. 17Get up! Walk throughout the length and breadth of the land, because I’m going to give it to you.”

18So Abram moved his tent and settled beside the oaks of Mamre that are by Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.