Back up north
So Abram came up out of Egypt into the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him. Abram had become very well off — livestock, silver, gold. He moved on from the Negev, stage by stage, back to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been at the start, the place where he'd built the altar the first time. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
So Abram came up out of Egypt into the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him.
Abram had become very well off — livestock, silver, gold.
He moved on from the Negev, stage by stage, back to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been at the start,
the place where he'd built the altar the first time. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Too much stock
Lot, who was travelling with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents of his own. The land couldn't carry the two of them together. They had so much between them that they couldn't stay in the one place. And the stockmen of Abram and the stockmen of Lot started arguing. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at the time.
Lot, who was travelling with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents of his own.
The land couldn't carry the two of them together. They had so much between them that they couldn't stay in the one place.
And the stockmen of Abram and the stockmen of Lot started arguing. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at the time.
You choose
So Abram said to Lot, “Let's not have any arguing between you and me, or between your stockmen and mine. We're family. The whole country's in front of you. Let's split up. If you go left, I'll go right. If you go right, I'll go left.”
So Abram said to Lot, “Let's not have any arguing between you and me, or between your stockmen and mine. We're family.
The whole country's in front of you. Let's split up. If you go left, I'll go right. If you go right, I'll go left.”
Lot looks
And Lot looked up and saw the whole plain of the Jordan — well watered, the lot of it, like the garden of the Lord, like Egypt, all the way to Zoar. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself, and headed east. The two of them parted company. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were bad. They sinned badly against the Lord.
And Lot looked up and saw the whole plain of the Jordan — well watered, the lot of it, like the garden of the Lord, like Egypt, all the way to Zoar. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself, and headed east. The two of them parted company.
Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents as far as Sodom.
Now the men of Sodom were bad. They sinned badly against the Lord.
Look up
And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had gone, “Look up from where you're standing — north and south, east and west. All the land you can see, I'll give to you and your descendants forever. I'll make your descendants like the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your descendants could be counted too. Get up and walk the length and breadth of the land, because I'm giving it to you.” So Abram moved his tents and went and settled by the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, and he built an altar there to the Lord.
And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had gone, “Look up from where you're standing — north and south, east and west.
All the land you can see, I'll give to you and your descendants forever.
I'll make your descendants like the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your descendants could be counted too.
Get up and walk the length and breadth of the land, because I'm giving it to you.”
So Abram moved his tents and went and settled by the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, and he built an altar there to the Lord.