1So Abram left Egypt and went back into the Negev along with Sarai, Lot, and everyone with them, as well as all their possessions.

2Abram was very rich, having many herds of livestock and a great deal of silver and gold.

3He left the Negev and traveled in stages to Bethel, back to the place where he'd camped before, between Bethel and Ai.

4This was where he'd first built an altar. He worshiped the Lord there as he had done previously.

5Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had many flocks, herds, and tents,

6so much so that the available land couldn't support both of them—they had so much livestock they couldn't stay together anymore.

7Abram's and Lot's herdsmen were arguing, and in addition the Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

8So Abram said to Lot, “Please don't let's have arguments between us, or between our herdsmen, because we're family.

9You see all this land that's available right in front of you? We have to split up. If you choose to go to the left, I'll go to the right. If you choose to go to the right, I'll go to the left.”

10Lot looked over the whole Jordan valley towards Zoar, and saw that it was well-watered, looking like the Garden of Eden, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

11So Lot chose the whole Jordan valley and went east, and the two separated from each other.

12Abram went to live in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled down among the towns in the valley, setting up his tents near Sodom.

13(The people of Sodom were very wicked, committing terrible sins that offended the Lord.)

14After separating from Lot, the Lord told Abram, “Look around you from where you're standing, to the north, south, east, and west.

15I'm giving all this land you see to you and your descendants forever.

16You will have so many descendants that they'll be like the dust of the earth. If anyone could count dust then they could count the number of your descendants!

17Go and walk through the whole land in all directions because I'm giving it to you.”

18So Abram went to live at Hebron, setting up his tents among the oaks at Mamre, where he built an altar to the Lord.