Genesis 19

Chapter 19

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

1 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.

2 “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.”
“Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”
3 But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate.4 But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house.

5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”
6 So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him.7 “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing.

8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.”

9 “Stand back!” they shouted. “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door.
10 But the two angelst reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door.

11 Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else.

13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the LORD, and he has sent us to destroy it.”

14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.

15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”
16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the LORD was merciful.

17 When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
18 “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged.19 “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die.

20 See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.”
21 “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village.

22 But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”)
23 Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon.24 Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.

26 But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the LORD’s presence.

28 He looked out across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace.

29 But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.

Lot and His Daughters

30 Afterward Lot left Zoar because he was afraid of the people there, and he went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters.31 One day the older daughter said to her sister, “There are no men left anywhere in this entire area, so we can’t get married like everyone else. And our father will soon be too old to have children.

32 Come, let’s get him drunk with wine, and then we will have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father.”

33 So that night they got him drunk with wine, and the older daughter went in and had intercourse with her father. He was unaware of her lying down or getting up again.
34 The next morning the older daughter said to her younger sister, “I had sex with our father last night. Let’s get him drunk with wine again tonight, and you go in and have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father.”

35 So that night they got him drunk with wine again, and the younger daughter went in and had intercourse with him. As before, he was unaware of her lying down or getting up again.
36 As a result, both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their own father.37 When the older daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Moab.t He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Moabites.

38 When the younger daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Ben-ammi.t He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Ammonites.

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.