THE WORD OF ELOHIM
GENESIS
Chapter 13
From Mitzramah, Abram went up into the Negeb, with his wife and all that he possessed, together with Lot. Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold. And he proceeded by stages from the Negeb as far as Bayt el’, to the place where his tent had been formerly, between Bayt el’ and Ay; the site of the altar that he had built there at first, and there Abram invoked Yehovah by name.
Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support them staying together; for their possessions were so great that they could not remain together. And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and those of Lot’s cattle.−The Kna'aniy and the Perizzi were then dwelling in the land.−Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, between my herdsmen and yours, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Let us separate: If you go north, I will go south and if you go south, I will go north.” Lot looked about him and saw how well watered was the whole plain of the Yarden, all of it−this was before Yehovah had destroyed Sedom and Amorah−all the way to Tsoar; like the garden of Yehovah, like the land of Mitzramah. So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Yarden, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they parted from each other; Abram remained in the land of Kenaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sedom. Now the inhabitants of Sedom were very wicked sinners against Yehovah.
And Yehovah said to Abram, after Lot had parted from him, “Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted. Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you.” And Abram moved his tent, and came to dwell at the terebinths of Mamre, which are in Chebron; and he built an altar there to Yehovah.