Genesis 13
13
Abram and Lot
Abram and Lot separate
1Abram and Sarai took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them.
2Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold. 3Abram moved from place to place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents between Bethel and Ai, 4where he had earlier camped and built an altar. There he worshipped the LORD.
5Lot, who was travelling with him, also had sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as his own family and slaves. 6-7At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the same area, and so there wasn't enough pasture land left for Abram and Lot with all their animals. Besides this, the men who took care of Abram's animals and the ones who took care of Lot's animals started quarrelling.
8Abram said to Lot, “We are close relatives. We shouldn't argue, and our men shouldn't be fighting one another. 9There is plenty of land for you to choose from. Let's separate. If you go north, I'll go south; if you go south, I'll go north.”
10This happened before the LORD had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when Lot looked around, he saw there was plenty of water in the Jordan Valley. All the way to Zoar the valley was as green as the garden of the LORD or the land of Egypt.#Gn 2.10. 11So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself, and as he started towards the east, he and Abram separated. 12Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. But Lot settled near the cities of the valley and put up his tents not far from Sodom, 13where the people were evil and sinned terribly against the LORD.
Abram moves to Hebron
14After Abram and Lot had gone their separate ways, the LORD said to Abram:
Look around to the north, south, east, and west. 15I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs for ever!#Ac 7.5. 16I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and some day it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants. 17Now walk back and forth across the land, because I am giving it to you.
18Abram took down his tents and went to live near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar in honour of the LORD.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Genesis 13
13
Abram and Lot separate
1Abram went up from Egypt toward the arid southern plain with his wife, with everything he had, and with Lot. 2Abram was very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold. 3Abram traveled, making and breaking camp, from the arid southern plain to Bethel and to the sacred place there, where he had first pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai, 4that is, to the place at which he had earlier built the altar. There he worshipped in the LORD’s name. 5Now Lot, who traveled with Abram, also had flocks, cattle, and tents. 6They had so many possessions between them that the land couldn’t support both of them. They could no longer live together. 7Conflicts broke out between those herding Abram’s livestock and those herding Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land.
8Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have disputes between me and you and between our herders since we are relatives. 9Isn’t the whole land in front of you? Let’s separate. If you go north, I will go south; and if you go south, I will go north.” 10Lot looked up and saw the entire Jordan Valley. All of it was well irrigated, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as far as Zoar (this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah). 11So Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan Valley. Lot set out toward the east, and they separated from each other. 12Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled near the cities of the valley and pitched his tent close to Sodom. 13The citizens of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the LORD.
14After Lot separated from him, the LORD said to Abram, “From the place where you are standing, look up and gaze to the north, south, east, and west, 15because all the land that you see I give you and your descendants forever. 16I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth. If someone could count the bits of dust on the earth, then they could also count your descendants. 17Stand up and walk around through the length and breadth of the land because I am giving it to you.” 18So Abram packed his tent and went and settled by the oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to the LORD.
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