13 Then Abram left Egypt with his wife and everything that belonged to him, and their nephew Lot. They returned to the Negev 2 and now Abram had become very wealthy, with both livestock, and silver and gold. 3 Then they continued north through the Negev as far as Beyt-el, to the place where his tents had been at the beginning—between Beyt-el and Ai— 4 to the place where he’d previously built an altar,[ref] and Abram sacrificed and prayed to Yahweh there.

5 Now Lot, who was travelling with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 but the land couldn’t support them all while they stayed together. Because the needs of their combined assets were so demanding, they couldn’t all thrive in one place 7 and that led to strife between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen. Also, the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.

8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have quarrelling between you and I, or between yours herdsmen and mine, because we’re relatives. 9 Isn’t the whole land available to you? So let’s separate. If you go to the left then I’ll go right, or if you go to the right then I’ll go left.” 10 Lot looked all around and saw that all the plain of the Jordan river valley was well-watered through towards Tso’ar, just like Yahweh’s garden had been before he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and like the land of Egypt.[ref] 11 Lot chose all of the Jordan plain for himself, and so he travelled to the east and they separated from each other. 12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled in the cities of the plain and moved his tents as far as Sodom. 13 However, the people of Sodom were extremely wicked, constantly disobeying Yahweh.