ABRAHAM returned from Egypt "very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." Lot was still with him, and their flocks and herds became so great that they could not find pasture for them all together.
So Abraham said to Lot, "Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left."
Abraham was the elder, and the choice should have been his. But he was not selfish, and so gave the choice to the younger man, his nephew.
Lot selfishly chose the plain of Jordan. This was the most beautiful and productive portion of all the land of Canaan. And he "pitched his tent toward Sodom."
But Lot did not stop to consider that Sodom and the other cities of the plain were very wicked. He thought only of his own interests, and was soon living in the city of Sodom itself. His daughters married wicked men of Sodom, and so forgot God. Lot could now see the evil of choosing his home among wicked people.
At last Sodom and some of the other cities near it became so wicked that God would not suffer them to remain. He must destroy them from off the earth. But first the Lord would tell Abraham what He was about to do.
One day when it was very warm, Abraham sat in the door of his tent. Soon he saw three strangers coming toward him. He ran to them and asked them to come and sit under a tree and rest while he prepared some food for them to eat.