< Genesis 19 >

1 The two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with his face to the earth,
And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet them: and worshipped prostrate to the ground,
2 and he said, "See now, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and stay all night, and wash your feet, then you may rise up early, and go on your way." They said, "No, but we will stay in the street all night."
And said: I beseech you, my lords, turn in to the house of your servant, and lodge there: wash your feet, and in the morning you shall go on your way. And they said: No, but we will abide in the street.
3 But he urged them so strongly that they came in with him, and entered into his house. He made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
He pressed them very much to turn in unto him: and when they were come into his house, he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread and they ate:
4 But before they could lie down to sleep, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.
But before they went to bed, the men of the city beset the house both young and old, all the people together.
5 They called to Lot, and said to him, "Where are the men who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may have sex with them."
And they called Lot, and said to him: Where are the men that came in to thee at night? bring them out hither that we may know them:
6 Lot went out to them at the entrance, and shut the door behind him.
Lot went out to them, and shut the door after him, and said:
7 He said, "Please, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, do not commit this evil.
8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only do not do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof."
I have two daughters who as yet have not known man: I will bring them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that you do no evil to these men, because they are come in under the shadow of my roof.
9 They said, "Stand back." They said, "This one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge. Now will we deal worse with you, than with them." They pressed hard on the man Lot, and drew near to break the door.
But they said: Get thee back thither. And again: Thou camest in, said they, as a, stranger, was it to be a judge? therefore we will afflict thee more than them. And they pressed very violently upon Lot: and they were even at the point of breaking open the doors.
10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
And behold the men put out their hand, and drew in Lot unto them, and shut the door:
11 They struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door.
And them that were without, they struck with blindness from the least to the greatest, so that they could not find the door.
12 The men said to Lot, "Do you have anybody else here? Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whoever you have in the city, bring them out of the place:
And they said to Lot: Hast thou here any of thine? son in law, or sons, or daughters, all that are thine bring them out of this city:
13 for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before God that he has sent us to destroy it."
For we will destroy this place, because their cry is grown loud before the Lord, who hath sent us to destroy them.
14 Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, "Get up. Get out of this place, for God will destroy the city." But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.
So Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law that were to have his daughters, and said: Arise: get you out of this place, because the Lord will destroy this city. And he seemed to them to speak as it were in jest.
15 When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot along, saying, "Get up. Take your wife, and your two daughters who are here, and get out, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city."
And when it was morning, the angels pressed him, saying: Arise, take thy wife, and the two daughters which thou hast: lest thou also perish in the wickedness of the city.
16 But he hesitated, so the men grabbed his hand, his wife's hand, and his two daughters' hands, God being merciful to him; and they took him out, and set him outside of the city.
And as he lingered, they took his hand, and the hand of his wife, and of his two daughters, because the Lord spared him.
17 It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said, "Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away."
And they brought him forth, and set him without the city: and there they spoke to him, saying: Save thy life: look not back, neither stay thou in all the country about: but save thyself in the mountain, lest thou be also consumed.
18 Lot said to them, "Oh, not so, my lord.
And Lot said to them: I beseech thee my Lord,
19 See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can't escape to the mountain, lest the disaster overtake me, and I die.
Because thy servant hath found grace before thee, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewn to me, in saving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil seize me, and I die:
20 See now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there--isn't it a little one?--and my life will be saved."
There is this city here at hand, to which I may flee, it is a little one, and I shall be saved in it: is it not a little one, and my soul shall live?
21 He said to him, "Look, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
And he said to him: Behold also in this, I have heard thy prayers, not to destroy the city for which thou hast spoken.
22 Hurry, escape there, for I can't do anything until you get there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
Make haste and be saved there, because I cannot do any thing till thou go in thither. Therefore the name of that city was called Segor.
23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth, and Lot entered into Segor.
24 Then God rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the sky.
And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
25 He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
And he destroyed these cities, and all the country about, all the inhabitants of the cities, and all things that spring from the earth.
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
And his wife looking behind her, was turned into a statue of salt.
27 Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before God.
And Abraham got up early in the morning and in the place where he had stood before with the Lord,
28 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and he saw; and look, the smoke was rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and the whole land of that country: and he saw the ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke of a furnace.
29 It happened, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
Now when God destroyed the cities of that country, remembering Abraham, he delivered Lot out of the destruction of the cities wherein he had dwelt.
30 Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived in a cave with his two daughters.
And Lot went up out of Segor, and abode in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, (for he was afraid to stay in Segor, ) and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.
31 The firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man in the land to sleep with us according to the custom of all the land.
And the elder said to the younger Our father is old, and there is no man left on the earth, to come in unto us after the manner of the whole earth.
32 Come, let's make our father drink wine, and we will sleep with him, that we may preserve our family through our father."
Come, let us make him drunk with wine, and let us lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33 They made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and slept with her father. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.
And they made their father drink wine that night: and the elder went in and lay with her father: but he perceived not neither when his daughter lay down, nor when she rose up.
34 It came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, "Look, I slept last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine again tonight. You go in, and sleep with him, that we may preserve our family through our father."
And the next day the elder said to the younger: Behold I lay last night with my father, let us make him drink wine also to night, and thou shalt lie with him, that we may save seed of our father.
35 They made their father drink wine that night also. The younger went and slept with him. He did not know when she lay down, nor when she got up.
They made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in, and lay with him: and neither then did he perceive when she lay down, nor when she rose up.
36 Thus both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
So the two daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37 The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.
And the elder bore a son, and she called his name Moab: he is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben Ammi. He is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
The younger also bore a son, and she called his name Ammon, that is, the son of my people: he is the father of the Ammonites unto this day.

< Genesis 19 >