Genesis 13

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, towards 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 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

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

3 And he went on his journeys from the south as far as Bethel; as far as the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel 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 of the altar that he had made there at the first. And there Abram called on the name of Jehovah.

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

5 And Lot also who went with Abram had flocks, and herds, and tents.

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

6 And the land could not support them, that they might dwell together, for their property was great; and they could not dwell 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 strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then 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 And Abram said to Lot, I pray thee let there be no contention between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, 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 Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if to the left, then I will take the right; and if to the right, then I will take 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 lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan that it was thoroughly watered, before Jehovah had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; as the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, as one goes 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 And Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan; and Lot went toward the east. And they separated the one from the other:

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

12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan; and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched tents 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 And the people of Sodom were wicked, and great sinners before Jehovah.

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

14 And Jehovah said to Abram, after that Lot had separated himself from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

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 that thou seest will I give 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 as the dust of the earth, so that if any one can number the dust of the earth, thy seed also will 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, walk through the land according to the length of it and according to the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee.

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

18 Then Abram moved [his] tents, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron. And he built there an altar to Jehovah.

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