Abram and Lot

1So Abram went up from Egypt to the [a]Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

2Now Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3And he went [b]on his journeys from the [c]Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4to the place of the altar which he had made there previously; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6And the land could not [d]support both of them [e]while living together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. 7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.

8So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives! 9Is the entire land not before you? Please separate from me; if you choose the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left.” 10Lot raised his eyes and saw all the [f]vicinity of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt [g]going toward Zoar. 11So Lot chose for himself all the [h]vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other. 12Abram [i]settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot [j]settled in the cities of the [k]vicinity of the Jordan, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. 13Now the men of Sodom were [l]exceedingly wicked sinners against the LORD.

14The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward, and eastward and westward; 15for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your [m]descendants forever. 16I will make your [n]descendants as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your [o]descendants could also be counted. 17Arise, walk about in the land through its length and width; for I will give it to you.” 18Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived by the [p]oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built an altar to the LORD.