Abram and Lot: Make You Choose First

Shouting for one dusty hillside. Two groups of herdsmen dey push each other, dey point hand, each one dey claim di best grass for dia animals. Sheep dey cry. Temper dey rise. And dis people no be enemies. Dem dey work for one uncle and im brother pikin.

Abram don come back from Egypt, where e go to escape hunger. Now e rich well well, for animals, for silver and for gold. Im brother pikin Lot dey travel with am, and Lot get im own flocks and herds and tents too. Dem go back to di place near Bethel where Abram build altar when e first reach, and there Abram call di name of di Lord again. But one problem dey. Di land no fit carry dem both. Dem get animals plenty sote dem no fit stay together.

Quarrel start between di herdsmen of Abram and di herdsmen of Lot. Every flock need grass and water, and e no reach everybody. Each side think say di other side dey take pass dia share. And Genesis add one detail. Di Canaanites and di Perizzites dey live for di land for dat time too. Di neighbours dey watch. Family quarrel wan become everybody business.

Abram na di elder. God don promise dis land to im family. E for use im position take di best for imself. Instead, e go meet Lot. Make quarrel no dey between me and you, or between your herdsmen and my own, because we be family. No be di whole land dey your front? Make we separate. If you go left, I go go right. If you go right, I go go left. Abram give Lot di first choice.

Lot look up and e see di whole plain of di Jordan. Water dey everywhere, e be like di garden of di Lord, like di land of Egypt. And Genesis add one shadow: dis one happen before di Lord destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot choose di whole plain for imself and e move go di east. E settle among di cities of di plain and e put im tents near Sodom. Then di narrator quietly tell us one more tin. Di people of Sodom dey wicked, and dem sin well well against di Lord. Di choice wey look greenest go bring Lot big trouble later.

After Lot don go, di Lord talk to Abram. Look round from where you dey, to di north and di south, to di east and di west. All di land wey you see, I go give am to you and your offspring forever. I go make your offspring like di dust of di earth, so dat if anybody fit count di dust, then dem fit count your offspring. Get up, waka through di land, di length and di breadth, because I dey give am to you. Abram allow Lot choose first, and e no lose anything wey God promise. So Abram move im tents and e go live near di big trees of Mamre for Hebron. And there, once again, e build altar for di Lord.

Fight over grass and water na real part of life for families wey dey rear animals for Canaan. Most of di hill country depend on rain wey dey come for season, and good grass and water no plenty, so big flocks must spread out. Genesis record more of dis quarrels later. Abraham must complain to one king for dat area about one well wey di king servants seize. And Isaac herdsmen quarrel over wells so tey e name one of dem Esek, one Hebrew word wey mean quarrel or dispute.

Abram and Lot. You go find am for Genesis chapter thirteen. Abram get di right to choose first, and e give am away to keep peace. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where you fit allow another person go first dis week, as you dey trust God with wetin you give up?