Genesis 13

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the wilderness.

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 And Abram was very rich in cattle, and silver, and gold.

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

3 And he went [to the place] whence he came, into the wilderness as far as Baethel, as far as the place where his tent was before, between Baethel and Aggai,

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 of the altar, which he built there at first, and Abram there called on 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 out with Abram had sheep, and oxen, and tents.

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

6 And the land was not large enough for them to live together, because their possessions were great; and the land was not large enough for them to live 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 a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle, and the herdmen of Lot's cattle, and the Chananites and the Pherezites then inhabited 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 And Abram said to Lot, Let there not be a strife between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we are brethren.

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

9 Lo! is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself from me; if thou [goest] to the left, I will go to the right, and if thou goest to 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 having lifted up his eyes, observed all the country round about Jordan, that it was all watered, before God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, as the garden of the Lord, and as the land of Egypt, until thou come to Zogora.

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 And Lot chose for himself all the country round Jordan, and Lot went from the east, and they were separated each from his brother. And Abram dwelt in the land of Chanaan.

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

12 And Lot dwelt in a city of the neighbouring people, and pitched his tent in 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 But the men of Sodom were evil, and exceedingly sinful before God.

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

14 And God said to Abram after Lot was separated from him, Look up with thine eyes, and behold from the place where thou now art northward and southward, and eastward and seaward;

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 thou seest, I will give it to thee and to thy seed for ever.

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

16 And I will make thy seed like the dust of the earth; if any one is able to number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed 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 Arise and traverse the land, both in the length of it and in the breadth; for to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

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

18 And Abram having removed his tent, came and dwelt by the oak of Mambre, which was in Chebrom, and he there built an altar 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.