Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

15 Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill?

² Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere. ³ Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, ⁴ speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the Lord, keeps a promise even if it ruins him, ⁵ does not crush his debtors with high interest rates, and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes offered him—such a man shall stand firm forever.

13 ^1-2 So they left Egypt and traveled north into the Negeb—Abram with his wife, and Lot, and all that they owned, for Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. ^3-4 Then they continued northward toward Bethel where he had camped before, between Bethel and Ai—to the place where he had built the altar. And there he again worshiped the Lord.

⁵ Lot too was very wealthy, with sheep and cattle and many servants.^{[a] 6} But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds. There were too many animals for the available pasture. ⁷ So fights broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot, despite the danger they all faced^[b] from the tribes of Canaanites and Perizzites present in the land. ⁸ Then Abram talked it over with Lot. “This fighting between our men has got to stop,” he said. “We can’t afford to let a rift develop between our clans. Close relatives such as we are must present a united front! ⁹ I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that part over there to the east, then I’ll stay here in the western section. Or, if you want the west, then I’ll go over there to the east.”

¹⁰ Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan River, well watered everywhere (this was before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah); the whole section was like the Garden of Eden,^[c] or like the beautiful countryside around Zoar in Egypt. ¹¹ So that is what Lot chose—the Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants, and thus he and Abram parted company. ¹² For Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain, settling at a place near the city of Sodom. ¹³ The men of this area were unusually wicked, and sinned greatly against Jehovah.

¹⁴ After Lot was gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction, ¹⁵ for I am going to give it all to you and your descendants. ¹⁶ And I am going to give you so many descendants that, like dust, they can’t be counted! ¹⁷ Hike in all directions and explore the new possessions I am giving you.” ¹⁸ Then Abram moved his tent to the oaks of Mamre, near Hebron, and built an altar to Jehovah there.

^14-15 When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God—some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth— ¹⁶ that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; ^18-19 and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.

²⁰ Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. ²¹ May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through Jesus Christ.