Genesis 19

1  IT WAS evening when the two angels came to Sodom. Lot was sitting at Sodom’s [city] gate. Seeing them, Lot rose up to meet them and bowed to the ground.2  And he said, My lords, turn aside, I beg of you, into your servant’s house and spend the night and bathe your feet. Then you can arise early and go on your way. But they said, No, we will spend the night in the square.3  [Lot] entreated and urged them greatly until they yielded and [with him] entered his house. And he made them a dinner [with drinking] and had unleavened bread which he baked, and they ate.4  But before they lay down, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, all the men from every quarter, surrounded the house.5  And they called to Lot and said, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know (be intimate with) them.6  And Lot went out of the door to the men and shut the door after him7  And said, I beg of you, my brothers, do not behave so wickedly.8  Look now, I have two daughters who are virgins; let me, I beg of you, bring them out to you, and you can do as you please with them. But only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.9  But they said, Stand back! And they said, This fellow came in to live here temporarily, and now he presumes to be [our] judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they rushed at and pressed violently against Lot and came close to breaking down the door.10  But the men [the angels] reached out and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door after him.11  And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness [which dazzled them], from the youths to the old men, so that they wearied themselves [groping] to find the door.12  And the [two] men asked Lot, Have you any others here--sons-in-law or your sons or your daughters? Whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place,13  For we will spoil and destroy [Sodom]; for the outcry and shriek against its people has grown great before the Lord, and He has sent us to destroy it.14  And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will spoil and destroy this city! But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be [only] joking.15  When morning came, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife and two daughters who are here [and be off], lest you [too] be consumed and swept away in the iniquity and punishment of the city.16  But while he lingered, the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, for the Lord was merciful to him; and they brought him forth and set him outside the city and left him there.17  And when they had brought them forth, they said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you or stop anywhere in the whole valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], lest you be consumed.18  And Lot said to them, Oh, not that, my lords!19  Behold now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your kindness and mercy to me in saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.20  See now yonder city; it is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape to it! Is it not a little one? And my life will be saved!21  And [the angel] said to him, See, I have yielded to your entreaty concerning this thing also; I will not destroy this city of which you have spoken.22  Make haste and take refuge there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar [little].23  The sun had risen over the earth when Lot entered Zoar.24  Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens.25  He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.26  But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.27  Abraham went up early the next morning to the place where he [only the day before] had stood before the Lord.28  And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and saw, and behold, the smoke of the country went up like the smoke of a furnace.29  When God ravaged and destroyed the cities of the plain [of Siddim], He [earnestly] remembered Abraham [imprinted and fixed him indelibly on His mind], and He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities where Lot lived.30  And Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.31  The elder said to the younger, Our father is aging, and there is not a man on earth to live with us in the customary way.32  Come, let us make our father drunk with wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring (our race) through our father.33  And they made their father drunk with wine that night, and the older went in and lay with her father; and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose.34  Then the next day the firstborn said to the younger, See here, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drunk with wine tonight also, and then you go in and lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring (our race) through our father.35  And they made their father drunk with wine again that night, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose.36  Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.37  The older bore a son, and named him Moab [of a father]; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.38  The younger also bore a son and named him Ben-ammi [son of my people]; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Genesis 19

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening whilet Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway.ts When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.

2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the nightt and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.”t “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.”s
3 But he urgedt them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate.4 Before they could lie down to sleep,t all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house.t

5 They shouted to Lot,t “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sexts with them!”
6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him.7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly!t

8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations witht a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please.t Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protectiont of my roof.”s

9 “Out of our way!”t they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner,t and now he dares to judge us!t We’ll do more harmt to you than to them!” They keptt pressing in on Lot until they were close enought to break down the door.
10 So the men insidet reached outt and pulled Lot back into the houset as they shut the door.11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest,t with blindness. The men outsidet wore themselves out trying to find the door.12 Then the two visitorst said to Lot, “Who else do you have here?t Do you havet any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city?t Get them out of thist place

13 because we are about to destroyt it. The outcry against this placet is so great before the Lord that het has sent us to destroy it.”

14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters.s He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroyt the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them.t
15 At dawnt the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here,t or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!”t16 When Lott hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them.t They led them away and placed themt outside the city.

17 When they had brought them outside, theyt said, “Runt for your lives! Don’t lookt behind you or stop anywhere in the valley!t Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord!t19 Yourt servant has found favor with you,t and you have shown me greatt kindnesss by sparingt my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains becauset this disaster will overtaket me and I’ll die.t

20 Look, this townt over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one.t Let me go there.t It’s just a little place, isn’t it?t Then I’ll survive.”t
21 “Very well,” he replied,t “I will grant this request toot and will not overthrowt the town you mentioned.

22 Run there quickly,t for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.)t
23 The sun had just risens over the land as Lot reached Zoar.t24 Then the Lord rained downt sulfur and firet on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord.ts25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region,t including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grewt from the ground.

26 But Lot’st wife looked back longinglyts and was turned into a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early in the morning and wentt to the place where he had stood before the Lord.

28 He looked out towardt Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region.t As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.ts

29 So when God destroyedt the cities of the region,t God honoredts Abraham’s request. He removed Lots from the midst of the destruction when he destroyedt the cities Lot had lived in.
30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.31 Later the older daughter saidt to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearbyt to have sexual relations with us,t according to the way of all the world.

32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with winet so we can have sexual relationst with him and preservet our family line through our father.”ts
33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine,t and the older daughtert came and had sexual relations with her father.t But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up.t34 So in the morning the older daughtert said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight.t Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”t

35 So they made their father drunkt that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him.t But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up.t
36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.37 The older daughtert gave birth to a son and named him Moab.s He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.

38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi.s He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.