1 Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him.

2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

3 He traveled from place to place from the Negev until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier.

4 This was where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of Jehovah.

5 Lot moved about with Abram. He also had flocks and herds and tents.

6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together. Their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.

7 Quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

8 Abram said to Lot: »Let us not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.

9 »Is not the whole land before you? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left.«

10 Lot looked up and saw that the district of the Jordan River was well watered, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. This was before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:

12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.

13 The men of Sodom were wicked and sinned greatly against Jehovah.

14 After Lot had parted from Abram, Jehovah said to Abram: »Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.

15 »All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring descendants from generation to generation.

16 »I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust, your offspring could be counted.

17 »Go walk through the length and breadth of the land that I am giving to you.«

18 Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron. He built an altar to Jehovah there.