Genesis 19
1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, while Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, arose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground.
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot happened to be sitting at the entrance to Sodom, and when he saw them he stood up to meet them, and bowed low with his face to the ground.
2 He said, “Please my masters, I urge you to turn aside into your servant's house, stay for the night, and wash your feet. Then you can rise up early and go on your way.” They replied, “No, we will spend the night in the town square.”
“Sirs, please come and stay with me for the night,” he said. “You can wash your feet and then be on your way early in the morning.” They replied, “No, it's fine. We'll spend the night here in the square.”
3 But he urged them strongly, so they went with him, and entered into his house. He prepared a meal and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
But Lot insisted, and they went with him to his house. He made them a meal and baked bread for them to eat.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the men from every part of the city.
But they hadn't even gone to bed before the men of Sodom, young and old, from every part of town, came and surrounded the house.
5 They called to Lot, and said to him, “Where are the men that came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may sleep with them.”
They shouted out to Lot, “Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them out here to us so we can have sex with them.”
6 So Lot went out the door to them and shut the door after himself.
Lot went out to talk to them in the doorway, closing the door behind him.
7 He said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
“My friends, please don't do such an evil thing!
8 Look, I have two daughters who have not slept with any man. Let me, I beg you, bring them out to you, and you do to them whatever is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
Listen, I've got two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you want, but please don't do anything to these men. It's my responsibility to look after them.”
9 They said, “Stand back!” They also said, “This one came here to live as a foreigner, and now he has become our judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” They pressed hard against the man, against Lot, and came near to break down the door.
“Out of our way!” they shouted. “Who do you think you are, coming to live here and now trying to judge us? We'll do even worse things to you than we were going to do to these men!” They rushed forward at Lot and tried to break down the door.
10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.
But the men inside reached out and grabbed Lot, dragged him inside, and slammed the door shut.
11 Then Lot's visitors struck with blindness the men who were outside the door of the house, both young and old, so that they became exhausted when they were trying to find the door.
Then they made all the men in the doorway, young and old, suddenly go blind so they couldn't find the door.
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here? Any sons-in-law, your sons and your daughters, and whoever you have in the city, get them out of here.
The two men asked Lot, “Is there anyone else here who's part of your family—sons-in-law, or sons or daughters, or anyone else in the town? If there are, make sure they leave,
13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the accusations against it before Yahweh have become so loud that he has sent us to destroy it.”
because we are about to destroy this place. The complaints that have reached the Lord about its people have become so bad that he has sent us to destroy it.”
14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, the men who had promised to marry his daughters, and said, “Quick, get out of this place, for Yahweh is about to destroy the city.” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
Lot went immediately to speak to the men who were engaged to marry his daughters. “Get up quickly and leave,” he said, “because the Lord is about to destroy the town!” But they thought it was just a joke.
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get going, take your wife and your two daughters that are here, so you are not swept away in the punishment of the city.”
At dawn, the angels begged Lot to be quick, telling him, “Hurry up! Leave right now with your wife and your two daughters here, otherwise you'll be wiped out when the city is punished.”
16 But he lingered. So the men grabbed his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, because Yahweh was merciful to him. They brought them out, and set them outside the city.
But Lot hesitated. The men grabbed his hand, and those of his wife and two daughters, and dragged them along, leaving them outside the town. The Lord was kind to them to do this.
17 When they had brought them out, one of the men said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, or stay anywhere on the plain. Escape to the mountains so you are not swept away.”
As soon as they were outside, one of the men said, “Run for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the valley! Run to the mountains otherwise you'll be destroyed!”
18 Lot said to them, “No, please, my masters!
“Please sir, not that!” Lot replied.
19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life, but I cannot escape to the mountains, because the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.
“If you don't mind, since you have already been so kind to me by saving my life, don't make me run to the mountains—I just can't make it. The destruction will overtake me and I'll die!
20 Look, that city over there is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Please, let me escape there (is it not a little one?), and my life will be saved.”
Look, there's a town nearby that's close enough to run to, and it's so small. Please let me run there—it's really very small. It would save my life.”
21 He said to him, “Alright, I am granting this request also, that I will not destroy the city which you have mentioned.
“Fine—I'll do as you ask,” he replied. “I won't destroy this town you've mentioned.
22 Hurry! Escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the city was called Zoar.
But hurry up and run there quickly, because I can't do anything until you get there.” (This is why the town was called Zoar.)
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot reached Zoar.
The sun had already risen by the time Lot reached Zoar.
24 Then Yahweh rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky.
Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.
25 He destroyed those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the plants that grew on the ground.
He completely destroyed the towns and all their inhabitants, the whole valley and everything growing there.
26 But Lot's wife, who was behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
But Lot's wife, who was lagging behind, looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh.
Abraham got up early the next morning and went back to where he had stood before the Lord.
28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain. He looked and behold, smoke was rising from the land like the smoke of a furnace.
He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley floor, and saw the land burning, sending up smoke like from a furnace.
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God called Abraham to mind. He sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the cities in which Lot had lived.
When God destroyed the towns of the valley he didn't forget the promise he made Abraham, and he saved Lot from the destruction of the towns where Lot was living.
30 But Lot went up from Zoar to live in the mountains with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.
Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, so he left town and went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters.
31 The firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere to sleep with us according to the way of all the world.
Sometime later the older daughter said to the younger one, “Our father is growing old, and there's no men left to give us children like everyone does.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will sleep with him, so that we may extend our father's line.”
Come on, let's get our father drunk with wine and sleep with him so we can keep his family line going.”
33 So they made their father drink wine that night. Then the firstborn went in and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.
So they got their father drunk with wine that night. The older daughter went and slept with him, and he didn't notice when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the firstborn said to the younger, “Listen, last night I slept with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you should go in and sleep with him, so that we may extend our father's line.”
The next day the older daughter said to the younger one, “Last night I slept with our father. Let's get him drunk with wine again tonight and you can go and sleep with him so we can keep his family line going.”
35 So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger went and slept with him. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.
So once again that night they got their father drunk with wine and the younger daughter went and slept with him, and he didn't notice when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both the daughters of Lot were pregnant by their father.
This is how both Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 The firstborn gave birth to a son, and named him Moab. He became the ancestor of the Moabites of today.
The older daughter had a son, and she called him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.
38 As for the younger daughter, she also gave birth to a son, and named him Ben-Ammi. He became the ancestor of the people of Ammon of today.
The younger daughter had a son too, and she called him Ben-ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
