Genesis 19
1 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.
And the two angels came to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat by the gate of Sodom, and Lot having seen them, rose up to meet them, and he worshipped with his face to the ground, and said,
2 “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.”
Behold! [my] lords, turn aside to the house of your servant, and rest from your journey, and wash your feet, and having risen early in the morning you shall depart on your journey. And they said, Nay, but we will lodge in the street.
3 But Lot insisted, and they went with him to his house. He made them a meal and baked bread for them to eat.
And he constrained them, and they turned aside to him, and they entered into his house, and he made a feast for them, and baked unleavened cakes for them, and they did eat.
4 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.
But before they went to sleep, the men of the city, the Sodomites, compassed the house, both young and old, all the people together.
5 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.”
And they called out Lot, and said to him, Where are the men that went in to you this night? bring them out to us that we may be with them.
6 Lot went out to talk to them in the doorway, closing the door behind him.
And Lot went out to them to the porch, and he shut the door after him,
7 “My friends, please don't do such an evil thing!
and said to them, By no means, brethren, do not act villanously.
8 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.”
But I have two daughters, who have not known a man. I will bring them out to you, and do you use them as it may please you, only do not injury to these men, to avoid which they came under the shelter of my roof.
9 “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.
And they said to him, Stand back there, you came in to sojourn, was it also to judge? Now then we would harm you more than them. And they pressed hard on the man, even Lot, and they drew near to break the door.
10 But the men inside reached out and grabbed Lot, dragged him inside, and slammed the door shut.
And the men stretched forth their hands and drew Lot in to them into the house, and shut the door of the house.
11 Then they made all the men in the doorway, young and old, suddenly go blind so they couldn't find the door.
And they struck the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, and they were wearied with seeking the door.
12 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,
And the men said to Lot, Hast you here sons-in-law, or sons or daughters, or if you have any other friend in the city, bring them out of this place.
13 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.”
For we are going to destroy this place; for their cry has been raised up before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.
14 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.
And Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law who had married his daughters, and said, Rise up, and depart out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city; but he seemed to be speaking absurdly before his sons-in-law.
15 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.”
But when it was morning, the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise and take your wife, and your two daughters whom you have, and go forth; lest you also be destroyed with the iniquities of the city.
16 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.
And they were troubled, and the angels laid hold on his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, in that the Lord spared him.
17 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!”
And it came to pass when they brought them out, that they said, Save your own life by all means; look not round to that which is behind, nor stay in all the country round about, escape to the mountain, lest perhaps you be overtaken together with them.
18 “Please sir, not that!” Lot replied.
And Lot said to them, I pray, Lord,
19 “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!
since your servant has found mercy before you, and you have magnified your righteousness, in what you do towards me that my soul may live, —but I shall not be able to escape to the mountain, lest perhaps the calamity overtake me and I die.
20 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.”
Behold this city is near for me to escape there, which is a small one, and there shall I be preserved, is it not little? and my soul shall live because of you.
21 “Fine—I'll do as you ask,” he replied. “I won't destroy this town you've mentioned.
And he said to him, Behold, I have had respect to you also about this thing, that I should not overthrow the city about which you have spoken.
22 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.)
Hasten therefore to escape there, for I shall not be able to do anything until you are come there; therefore he called the name of that city, Segor.
23 The sun had already risen by the time Lot reached Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth, when Lot entered into Segor.
24 Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.
And the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
25 He completely destroyed the towns and all their inhabitants, the whole valley and everything growing there.
And he overthrew these cities, and all the country round about, and all that lived in the cities, and the plants springing out of the ground.
26 But Lot's wife, who was lagging behind, looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
And his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early the next morning and went back to where he had stood before the Lord.
And Abraam rose up early to go to the place, where he had stood before the Lord.
28 He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley floor, and saw the land burning, sending up smoke like from a furnace.
And he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and towards the surrounding country, and saw, and behold a flame went up from the earth, as the smoke of a furnace.
29 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.
And it came to pass that when God destroyed all the cities of the region round about, God remembered Abraam, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when the Lord overthrew those cities in which Lot lived.
30 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.
And Lot went up out of Segor, and lived in the mountain, he and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Segor; and he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.
31 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.
And the elder said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no one on the earth who shall come in to us, as it is fit in all the earth.
32 Come on, let's get our father drunk with wine and sleep with him so we can keep his family line going.”
Come and let us make our father drink wine, and let us sleep with him, and let us raise up seed from our father.
33 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.
So they made their father drink wine in that night, and the elder went in and lay with her father that night, and he knew not when he slept and when he rose up.
34 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.”
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the elder said to the younger, Behold, I slept yesternight with our father, let us make him drink wine in this night also, and do you go in and sleep with him, and let us raise up seed of our father.
35 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.
So they made their father drink wine in that night also, and the younger went in and slept with her father, and he knew not when he slept, nor when he arose.
36 This is how both Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.
37 The older daughter had a son, and she called him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.
And the elder bore a son and called his name Moab, saying, [He is] of my father. This is the father of the Moabites to this present day.
38 The younger daughter had a son too, and she called him Ben-ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
And the younger also bore a son, and called his name Amman, saying, The son of my family. This is the father of the Ammanites to this present day.
