Genesis 19

Lot Leaves Sodom

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting near the city gate. When he saw them, he got up and went to them and bowed facedown on the ground.

2 Lot said, “Sirs, please come to my house and spend the night. There you can wash your feet, and then tomorrow you may continue your journey.”
The angels answered, “No, we will spend the night in the city’s public square.”

3 But Lot begged them to come, so they agreed and went to his house. Then Lot prepared a meal for them. He baked bread without yeast, and they ate it.
4 Before bedtime, men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house.

5 They called to Lot, “Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sexual relations with them.”
6 Lot went outside to them, closing the door behind him.7 He said, “No, my brothers! Do not do this evil thing.

8 Look! I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. I will give them to you, and you may do anything you want with them. But please don’t do anything to these men. They have come to my house, and I must protect them.”

9 The men around the house answered, “Move out of the way!” Then they said to each other, “This man Lot came to our city as a stranger, and now he wants to tell us what to do!” They said to Lot, “We will do worse things to you than to them.” They started pushing him back and were ready to break down the door.
10 But the two men staying with Lot opened the door, pulled him back inside the house, and then closed the door.

11 They struck those outside the door with blindness, so the men, both young and old, could not find the door.
12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have any other relatives in this city? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or any other relatives? If you do, tell them to leave now,

13 because we are about to destroy this city. The Lord has heard of all the evil that is here, so he has sent us to destroy it.”

14 So Lot went out and said to his future sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters, “Hurry and leave this city! The Lord is about to destroy it!” But they thought Lot was joking.

15 At dawn the next morning, the angels begged Lot to hurry. They said, “Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be destroyed when the city is punished.”
16 But Lot delayed. So the two men took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family.

17 After they brought them out of the city, one of the men said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Run to the mountains, or you will be destroyed.”
18 But Lot said to one of them, “Sir, please don’t force me to go so far!19 You have been merciful and kind to me and have saved my life. But I can’t run to the mountains. The disaster will catch me, and I will die.

20 Look, that little town over there is not too far away. Let me run there. It’s really just a little town, and I’ll be safe there.”
21 The angel said to Lot, “Very well, I will allow you to do this also. I will not destroy that town.22 But run there fast, because I cannot destroy Sodom until you are safely in that town.” (That town is named Zoar, 

Sodom and Gomorrah Are Destroyed

23 The sun had already come up when Lot entered Zoar.24 The Lord sent a rain of burning sulfur down from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah

25 and destroyed those cities. He also destroyed the whole Jordan Valley, everyone living in the cities, and even all the plants.

26 At that point Lot’s wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar of salt.
27 Early the next morning, Abraham got up and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord.

28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the Jordan Valley and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

29 God destroyed the cities in the valley, but he remembered what Abraham had asked. So God saved Lot’s life, but he destroyed the city where Lot had lived.

Lot and His Daughters

30 Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave.31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old. Everywhere on the earth women and men marry, but there are no men around here for us to marry.

32 Let’s get our father drunk and have sexual relations with him. We can use him to have children and continue our family.”

33 That night the two girls got their father drunk, and the older daughter went and had sexual relations with him. But Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I had sexual relations with my father. Let’s get him drunk again tonight so you can go and have sexual relations with him, too. In this way we can use our father to have children to continue our family.”

35 So that night they got their father drunk again, and the younger daughter went and had sexual relations with him. Again, Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of all the Moabite people who are still living today.38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. He is the father of all the Ammonite people who are still living 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.