Genesis 13

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 worshiped the Lord.

5Lot, who was traveling 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 still living in the same area, and so there wasn't enough pastureland left for Abram and Lot with all of their animals. Besides this, the men who took care of Abram's animals and the ones who took care of Lot's animals started quarreling.

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.”

10 # Gn 2.10. This 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. 11So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself, and as he started out toward 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. 15#Ac 7.5. I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever! 16I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count those specks of dust than to count your descendants. 17Now walk back and forth across the land, because I am going to give 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 honor of the Lord.

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Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate

1So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, #ch. 12:9into the Negeb.

2 # ch. 24:35; [Ps. 112:1-3; Prov. 10:22] Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4to #ch. 12:7, 8the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6so that #ch. 36:6, 7the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7#ch. 26:20 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time #ch. 12:6the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

8Then Abram said to Lot, #[1 Cor. 6:1-8] “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, #[Acts 7:26]for we are kinsmen.#13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers 9#ch. 20:15; 34:10Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the #ch. 19:17, 25, 28; Deut. 34:3; 1 Kgs. 7:46; [Matt. 3:5] Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like #ch. 2:8; Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 28:13; Joel 2:3 the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of #ch. 14:2, 8; 19:22 Zoar. (This was before the Lord #ch. 19:24, 25destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13Now the men of Sodom #ch. 18:20; Ezek. 16:49; 2 Pet. 2:7, 8were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

14The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, #ch. 28:14northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15for all the land that you see I will give #ch. 17:8; 28:13; 35:12; Acts 7:5 to you and #ch. 12:7; 15:18; 24:7; 26:4; Deut. 34:4; 2 Chr. 20:7to your offspring forever. 16#ch. 22:17; 28:14; 32:12; Num. 23:10; [1 Kgs. 3:8]; See ch. 15:5I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18So Abram moved his tent and came and #ch. 14:13 settled by the #ch. 12:6 oaks#13:18 Or terebinths of Mamre, which #ch. 35:27are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

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