Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

13 Avram went up from Egypt — he, his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him — into the Negev. ² Avram became wealthy, with much cattle, silver and gold. ³ As he went on his travels from the Negev, he came to Beit-El, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beit-El and ‘Ai, ⁴ where he had first built the altar; and there Avram called on the name of Adonai.

(iii) ⁵ Lot, who was traveling with Avram, also had flocks, herds and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support their living together, because their possessions were too great for them to remain together. ⁷ Moreover, quarreling arose between Avram’s and Lot’s herdsmen. The Kena‘ani and the P’rizi were then living in the land. ⁸ Avram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between me and you, or between my herdsmen and yours, since we’re kinsmen. ⁹ Isn’t the whole land there in front of you? Please separate yourself from me — if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.” ¹⁰ Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Yarden was well watered everywhere, before Adonai destroyed S’dom and ‘Amora, like the garden of Adonai, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Tzo‘ar. ¹¹ So Lot chose all the plain of the Yarden for himself, and Lot traveled eastward; thus they separated themselves from each other. ¹² Avram lived in the land of Kena‘an; and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent near S’dom. ¹³ Now the men of S’dom were evil, committing great sins against Adonai.

¹⁴ Adonai said to Avram, after Lot had moved away from him, “Look all around you from where you are, to the north, the south, the east and the west. ¹⁵ All the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever, ¹⁶ and I will make your descendants as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth — so that if a person can count the specks of dust on the earth, then your descendants can be counted. ¹⁷ Get up and walk through the length and breadth of the land, because I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ Avram moved his tent and came to live by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hevron. There he built an altar to Adonai.

¹⁴ For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. ¹⁶ I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, ¹⁷ so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, ¹⁸ so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, ¹⁹ yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, ²¹ to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.