Genesis 13

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt with his wife and all he had, and Lot with him, and they came in to the South.

So Abram left Egypt and went back into the Negev along with Sarai, Lot, and everyone with them, as well as all their possessions.

2 Now Abram had great wealth of cattle and silver and gold.

Abram was very rich, having many herds of livestock and a great deal of silver and gold.

3 And travelling on from the South, he came to Beth-el, to the place where his tent had been before, between Beth-el and Ai;

He left the Negev and traveled in stages to Bethel, back to the place where he'd camped before, between Bethel and Ai.

4 To the place where he had made his first altar, and there Abram gave worship to the name of the Lord.

This was where he'd first built an altar. He worshiped the Lord there as he had done previously.

5 And Lot, who went with him, had flocks and herds and tents;

Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had many flocks, herds, and tents,

6 So that the land was not wide enough for the two of them: their property was so great that there was not room for them together.

so much so that the available land couldn't support both of them—they had so much livestock they couldn't stay together anymore.

7 And there was an argument between the keepers of Abram's cattle and the keepers of Lot's cattle: at that time the Canaanites and Perizzites were still living in the land.

Abram's and Lot's herdsmen were arguing, and in addition the Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

8 Then Abram said to Lot, Let there be no argument between me and you, and between my herdmen and your herdmen, for we are brothers.

So Abram said to Lot, “Please don't let's have arguments between us, or between our herdsmen, because we're family.

9 Is not all the land before you? then let us go our separate ways: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; or if you take the right, I will go to the left.

You 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.”

10 And Lot, lifting up his eyes and looking an the valley of Jordan, saw that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord had sent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah; it was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, on the way to Zoar.

Lot 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.)

11 So Lot took for himself all the valley of Jordan, and went to the east, and they were parted from one another.

So Lot chose the whole Jordan valley and went east, and the two separated from each other.

12 Abram went on living in the land of Canaan, and Lot went to the lowland towns, moving his tent as far as Sodom.

Abram 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 Now the men of Sodom were evil, and great sinners before the Lord.

(The people of Sodom were very wicked, committing terrible sins that offended the Lord.)

14 And the Lord had said to Abram, after Lot was parted from him, From this place where you are take a look to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west:

After separating from Lot, the Lord told Abram, “Look around you from where you're standing, to the north, south, east, and west.

15 For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your seed for ever.

I'm giving all this land you see to you and your descendants forever.

16 And I will make your children like the dust of the earth, so that if the dust of the earth may be numbered, then will your children be numbered.

You 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!

17 Come, go through all the land from one end to the other for I will give it to you.

Go and walk through the whole land in all directions because I'm giving it to you.”

18 And Abram, moving his tent, came and made his living-place by the holy tree of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and made an altar there to the Lord.

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