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 south.

So Abram and Sarai left Egypt, and they took along all his possessions, and Lot went with them to the Negev [Desert].

2 And he was very rich in possession of gold and silver.

Abram was very rich. He owned a lot of livestock, silver and gold.

3 And he returned by the way that he came, from the south to Bethel, to the place where before he had pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai:

They continued traveling from place to place from the Negev [Desert] toward Bethel [town] to the place between Bethel and Ai where they had previously set up their tents,

4 In the place of the altar which he had made before; and there he called upon the name of the Lord.

and where Abram had made a stone altar and worshiped Yahweh.

5 But Lot also, who was with Abram, had flocks of sheep, and herds of beasts, and tents.

Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cattle, and tents.

6 Neither was the land able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, and they could not dwell together.

But they had so many animals that they could not all stay in the same area. There was not enough land to provide water and food for all their animals.

7 Whereupon also there arose a strife between the herdsmen of Abram and of Lot. And at that time the Chanaanite and the Pherezite dwelled in that country.

Furthermore, the descendants of Canaan and Perizzi were also living in that area, and the land really belonged to them. And the men who took care of Abram’s animals started quarreling with the men who took care of Lot’s animals.

8 Abram therefore said to Lot: Let there be no quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen: for we are brethren.

So Abram said to Lot, “Since we are close relatives, it is not good for us two to quarrel, or for the men who take care of your animals to quarrel with the men who take care of my animals.

9 Behold the whole land is before thee: depart from me I pray thee: if thou wilt go to the left hand, I will take the right: if thou choose the right hand, I will pass to the left.

There is plenty of land for both of us. So we should separate. You can choose whatever part you want [RHQ]. If you want the area over there, I will stay here. If you want the area here, I will go over there.”

10 And Lot, lifting up his eyes, saw all the country about the Jordan, which was watered throughout, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, as the paradise of the Lord, and like Egypt as one comes to Segor.

Lot looked around toward Zoar [town], and saw that there was plenty of water all over the plain near the Jordan [River]. It was like the park/garden in Eden, and like the land in Egypt. [That was before Yahweh destroyed [the cities of] Sodom and Gomorrah which were on that plain.]

11 And Lot chose to himself the country about the Jordan, and he departed from the east: and they were separated one brother from the other.

So Lot chose the land in the plain of the Jordan [River]. He left his uncle, Abram, and moved east.

12 Abram dwelt in the land of Chanaan; and Lot abode in the towns that were about the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom.

Abram stayed in the Canaan area, and Lot started to live near the cities in the plain of the Jordan [River], and he set up his tents near Sodom [city].

13 And the men of Sodom were very wicked, and sinners before the face of the Lord, beyond measure.

[You need to know that] people who lived there were extremely wicked.

14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him: Lift up thy eyes, and look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west.

After Abram and Lot separated, Yahweh said to Abram, “Look around at this whole area where you are. Look north and south, look east and west.

15 All the land which thou seest, I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever.

I will give to you and your descendants all the land that you see; I will give it to you forever.

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

I will cause your descendants to be as numerous as particles of dust! [It will be easier] to count the particles of dust than it will be to count your descendants [HYP].

17 Arise and walk through the land in the length, and in the breadth thereof: for I will give it to thee.

Walk through the land in every direction, because I am going to give it all to you.”

18 So Abram removing his tent came and dwelt by the vale of Mambre, which is in Hebron: and he built there an altar to the Lord.

So Abram [and his men] took down their tents and moved to Hebron and started to live by the huge trees [at the town] Mamre. He placed a stone altar there to [make sacrifices to] Yahweh.