¹ From Egypt Abram returned to the Negeb with his wife and all he possessed, and Lot with him.

² Abram was very rich in livestock, silver and gold.

³ By stages he went from the Negeb to Bethel, where he had first pitched his tent, between Bethel and Ai,

⁴ at the place where he had formerly erected the altar. There Abram invoked the name of Yahweh.

⁵ Lot, who was travelling with Abram, had flocks and cattle of his own, and tents too.

⁶ The land was not sufficient to accommodate them both at once, for they had too many possessions to be able to live together.

⁷ Dispute broke out between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and those of Lot. (The Canaanites and Perizzites were living in the country at the time.)

⁸ Accordingly Abram said to Lot, 'We do not want discord between us or between my herdsmen and yours, for we are kinsmen.

⁹ Is not the whole land open before you? Go in the opposite direction to me: if you take the left, I shall go right; if you take the right, I shall go left.'

¹⁰ Looking round, Lot saw all the Jordan plain, irrigated everywhere -- this was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah-like the garden of Yahweh or the land of Egypt, as far as Zoar.

¹¹ So Lot chose all the Jordan plain for himself and moved off eastwards. Thus they parted company:

¹² Abram settled in the land of Canaan; Lot settled among the cities of the plain, pitching his tents on the outskirts of Sodom.

¹³ Now the people of Sodom were vicious and great sinners against Yahweh.

¹⁴ Yahweh said to Abram after Lot had parted company from him, 'Look all round from where you are, to north and south, to east and west,

¹⁵ for all the land within sight I shall give to you and your descendants for ever.

¹⁶ I shall make your descendants like the dust on the ground; when people succeed in counting the specks of dust on the ground, then they will be able to count your descendants too!

¹⁷ On your feet! Travel the length and breadth of the country, for I mean to give it to you.'

¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and went to settle at the Oak of Mamre, at Hebron, and there he built an altar to Yahweh.