Genesis 12:10-13:18

New American Standard Bible

¹⁰ Now there was ^(A)a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a time, because the famine was ^(B)severe in the land. ¹¹ It came about, when he ^[a]was approaching Egypt, that he said to his wife Sarai, “See now, I know that you are a ^[b](C)beautiful woman; ^12 (D)and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Please say that you are ^(E)my sister so that it may go well for me because of you, and that ^[c](F)I may live on account of you.” ¹⁴ Now it came about, when Abram entered Egypt, that the Egyptians ^[d]saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and ^(G)the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(H)he treated Abram well for her sake; and ^[e](I)he gave him sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord ^(J)struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “^(K)What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? Now then, ^[f]here is your wife, take her and go!” ²⁰ And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they ^[g]escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

Abram and Lot

13 So Abram went up from Egypt to ^(L)the ^[h]Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

² Now Abram was ^(M)very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. ³ And he went ^[i]on his journeys from the ^[j]Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, ^(N)between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the ^(O)altar which he had made there previously; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. ⁵ Now ^(P)Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. ⁶ And ^(Q)the land could not ^[k]support both of them ^[l]while living together, ^(R)for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. ^7 (S)And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now ^(T)the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.

^8 (U)So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives! ⁹ Is the entire land not before you? Please separate from me; if you choose the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left.” ¹⁰ Lot raised his eyes and saw all the ^[m]vicinity of the ^(V)Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord ^(W)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like ^(X)the garden of the Lord, ^(Y)like the land of Egypt ^[n]going toward ^(Z)Zoar. ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the ^[o]vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other. ¹² Abram ^[p]settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot ^[q]settled in ^(AA)the cities of the ^[r]vicinity of the Jordan, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now ^(AB)the men of Sodom were ^[s]exceedingly wicked ^(AC)sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “^(AD)Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, ^(AE)northward and southward, and eastward and westward; ^15 (AF)for all the land which you see ^(AG)I will give to you and to your ^[t]descendants forever. ¹⁶ I will make your ^[u]descendants ^(AH)as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your ^[v]descendants could also be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, ^(AI)walk about in the land through its length and width; for ^(AJ)I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived by the ^[w](AK)oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built ^(AL)an altar to the Lord.