Abram and Lot Part. 1From Egypt Abram went up to the Negeb with his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot went with him.^a 2^* Now Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.^b 3From the Negeb he traveled by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly stood, 4the site where he had first built the altar; and there Abram invoked the LORD by name.^c

5Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6so that the land could not support them if they stayed together; their possessions were so great that they could not live together. 7There were quarrels between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock. At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

8So Abram said to Lot: “Let there be no strife between you and me, or between your herders and my herders, for we are kindred. 9Is not the whole land available? Please separate from me. If you prefer the left, I will go to the right; if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.” 10Lot looked about and saw how abundantly watered the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar, like the LORD’s own garden, or like Egypt. This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 11Lot, therefore, chose for himself the whole Jordan Plain and set out eastward. Thus they separated from each other. 12Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom. 13Now the inhabitants of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.^d

1The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance;

indeed he remembers their sins in detail.^a

2Forgive your neighbor the wrong done to you;

then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.^b

3Does anyone nourish anger against another

and expect healing from the LORD?^c

4Can one refuse mercy to a sinner like oneself,

yet seek pardon for one’s own sins?

5If a mere mortal cherishes wrath,

who will forgive his sins?

6Remember your last days and set enmity aside;

remember death and decay, and cease from sin!^d

7Remember the commandments and do not be angry with your neighbor;

remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.

The Power of God’s Promise.^* 3His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him^a who called us by his own glory and power.^* 4Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.^b 5^* For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge,^c 6knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, 7devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. 8If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9^d Anyone who lacks them is blind and shortsighted, forgetful of the cleansing of his past sins. 10^* Therefore, brothers, be all the more eager to make your call and election firm, for, in doing so, you will never stumble. 11For, in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.^* 21ⁿ Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22^* Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 23^o That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24^* When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. 26^* At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ 27Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. 28When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount.^* He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 31Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. 32His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33^p Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ 34Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.^* 35^{* q} So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”