Genesis 19

Lot’s Guests Are Assaulted

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed with his face touching the ground.

2 He said, “Please, gentlemen, why don’t you come to my home and spend the night? You can wash your feet there. Then early tomorrow morning you can continue your journey.”
“No,” they answered, “we’d rather spend the night in the city square.”3 But he insisted so strongly that they came with him and went into his home. He prepared a special dinner for them, baked some unleavened bread, and they ate.4 Before they had gone to bed, all the young and old male citizens of Sodom surrounded the house.

5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”
6 Then Lot went outside and shut the door behind him.7 “Please, my friends, don’t be so wicked,” he said.

8 “Look, I have two daughters who have never had sex. Why don’t you let me bring them out to you? Do whatever you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, since I’m responsible for them.”
9 But the men yelled, “Get out of the way! This man came here to stay awhile. Now he wants to be our judge! We’re going to treat you worse than those men.” They pushed hard against Lot and lunged forward to break down the door.10 The men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

11 Then they struck all the men who were in the doorway of the house, young and old alike, with blindness so that they gave up trying to find the door.

Lot Leaves Sodom, and the Cities Are Destroyed

12 Then the men asked Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—any in-laws, sons, daughters, or any other relatives in the city? Get them out of here

13 because we’re going to destroy this place. The complaints to the Lord against its people are so loud that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to the men engaged to his daughters. He said, “Hurry! Get out of this place, because the Lord is going to destroy the city.” But they thought he was joking.15 As soon as it was dawn, the angels urged Lot by saying, “Quick! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you’ll be swept away when the city is punished.”16 When he hesitated, the men grabbed him, his wife, and his two daughters by their hands, because the Lord wanted to spare Lot. They brought them safely outside the city.

17 As soon as they were outside, one of the angels said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stop on the plain. Run for the hills, or you’ll be swept away!”
18 Lot answered, “Oh no!19 Even though you’ve been so good to me and though you’ve been very kind to me by saving my life, I can’t run as far as the hills. This disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die.

20 Look, there’s a city near enough to flee to, and it’s small. Why don’t you let me run there? Isn’t it small? Then my life will be saved.”
21 The angel said to him, “Alright, I will grant you this request too. I will not destroy the city you’re talking about.

22 Run there quickly, because I can’t do anything until you get there.” (The city is named Zoar [Small].)
23 The sun had just risen over the land as Lot came to Zoar.24 Then the Lord made burning sulfur and fire rain out of heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah.25 He destroyed those cities, the whole plain, all who lived in the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

26 Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a column of salt.
27 Early the next morning Abraham came to the place where he had stood in front of the Lord.

28 When he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land in the plain, he saw smoke rising from the land like the thick smoke of a furnace.
29 When God destroyed the cities on the plain, he remembered Abraham. Lot was allowed to escape from the destruction that came to the cities where he was living.

Lot’s Daughters Have Sons by Their Father

30 Lot left Zoar because he was afraid to stay there. He and his two daughters settled in the mountains where they lived in a cave.31 The older daughter said to the younger one, “Our father is old. No men are here. We can’t get married as other people do.32 Let’s give our father wine to drink. Then we’ll go to bed with him so that we’ll be able to preserve our family line through our father.”33 That night they gave their father wine to drink. Then the older one went to bed with her father. He didn’t know when she came to bed or when she got up.34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger one, “I did it! Last night I went to bed with my father. Let’s give him wine to drink again tonight. Then you go to bed with him so that we’ll be able to preserve our family line through our father.”35 That night they gave their father wine to drink again. Then the younger one went to bed with him. He didn’t know when she came to bed or when she got up.36 So Lot’s two daughters became pregnant by their father.37 The older one gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.

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

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.