< Genesis 19 >

1 And tweyne aungels camen to Sodom in the euentide, while Loth sat in the yatis of the citee. And whanne he hadde seyn hem, he roos, and yede ayens hem, and worschipide lowe to erthe,
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,
2 and seide, My lordis, Y biseche, bowe ye in to the hous of youre child, and dwelle ye there; waische ye youre feet, and in the morewtid ye schulen go in to youre weie. Whiche seiden, Nay, but we schulen dwelle in the street.
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."
3 He constreynede hem greetli, that thei schulden turne to hym. And whanne thei weren entrid in to his hous, he made a feeste, he bakide therf breed, and thei eten.
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.
4 Forsothe bifore that thei yeden to sleepe, men of the citee compassiden his hows, fro a child `til to an eld man, al the puple togidre;
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.
5 and thei clepiden Loth, and seiden to him, Where ben the men that entriden to thee to nyyt? brynge hem out hidur, that we `knowe hem.
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."
6 And Loth yede out to hem `bihynde the bak, and closide the dore,
Lot went out to them at the entrance, and shut the door behind him.
7 and seide, Y biseche, nyle ye, my britheren, nyle ye do this yuel.
He said, "Please, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
8 Y haue twey douytris, that knewen not yit man; Y schal lede out hem to you, and mys vse ye hem as it plesith you, so that ye doon noon yuel to these men, for thei entriden vndur the schadewe of my roof.
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."
9 And thei seiden, Go thou fro hennus. And eft thei seiden, Thou entridist as a comelyng; wher that thou deme? therfor we schulen turment thee more than these. And thei diden violentli to Loth ful greetli. Thanne it was nyy that thei wolden breke the doris; and lo!
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.
10 the men puttiden hoond, and ledden in Loth to hem, and thei closiden the dore.
But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
11 And thei smyten with blyndenesse hem that weren withoutforth, fro the leest til to the moost; so that thei myyten not fynde the dore.
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.
12 Forsothe thei seiden to Loth, Hast thou here ony man of thine, hosebonde of thi douyter, ethir sones, ethir douytris; lede thou out of this citee alle men that ben thine,
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:
13 for we schulen do a wey this place, for the cry of hem encreesside bifor the Lord, which sente vs that we leese hem.
for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before God that he has sent us to destroy it."
14 And so Loth yede out, and spak to the hosebondys of his douytris, that schulden take hise douytris, and seide, Rise ye, and go ye out of this place; for the Lord schal do awey this citee. And he was seyn to hem to speke as pleiynge.
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.
15 And whanne the morewtid was, the aungels constreyneden hym, and seiden, Rise thou, and take thi wijf, and thi twey douytris whiche thou hast, lest also thou perische to gidere in the synne of the citee.
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."
16 While he dissymelide, thei token his hond, and the hond of his wijf, and of his twey doutris; for the Lord sparide hym.
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.
17 And thei ledden out hym, and settiden with out the citee. There thei spaken to him, and seiden, Saue thou thi lijf; nyle thou biholde bihynde thi bac, nether stond thou in al the cuntre aboute, but make thee saaf in the hil; lest also thou perische togidere.
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."
18 And Loth seide to hem, My lord, Y biseche,
Lot said to them, "Oh, not so, my lord.
19 for thi seruaunt hath founde grace bifore thee, and thou hast magnyfied thi grace and mercy, which thou hast do with me, that thou schuldist saue my lijf; Y may not be saued in the hil, lest perauenture yuel take me, and Y die;
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.
20 a litil citee is here bisidis, to which Y may fle, and Y schal be saued ther ynne; where it is not a litil citee? and my soule schal lyue ther ynne.
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."
21 And he seide to Loth, Lo! also in this Y haue resseyued thi preieris, that Y distrye not the citee, for which thou hast spoke;
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.
22 haste thou, and be thou saued there, for Y may not do ony thing til thou entre thidur. Therfor the name of that citee was clepid Segor.
Hurry, escape there, for I can't do anything until you get there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sunne roos on erthe, and Loth entride in to Segor.
The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
24 Therfor the Lord reynede on Sodom and Gomorre brynston and fier, fro the Lord fro heuene,
Then God rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the sky.
25 and distriede these citees, and al the cuntrey aboute; he destriede alle enhabiters of citees, and all grene thingis of erthe.
He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
26 And his wijf lokide abac, and was turned in to an ymage of salt.
But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Forsothe Abraham risynge eerly, where he stood bifore with the Lord,
Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before God.
28 bihelde Sodom and Gomorre, and al the lond of that cuntrey; and he seiy a deed sparcle stiynge fro erthe, as the smoke of a furneis.
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.
29 For whanne God distriede the citees of that cuntrey, he hadde mynde of Abraham, and delyuerede Loth fro destriynge of the citees in whiche he dwellide.
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.
30 And Loth stiede fro Segor, and dwellide in the hil, and hise twey douytris with him, for he dredde to dwelle in Segor; and he dwellide in a denne, he and his twey douytris with hym.
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.
31 And the more douytre seide to the lasse, Oure fadre is eld, and no man is left in erthe, that may entre to vs, bi the custom of al erthe;
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.
32 come thou, make we him drunkun of wyn, and slepe we with him, that we moun kepe seed of oure fadir.
Come, let's make our father drink wine, and we will sleep with him, that we may preserve our family through our father."
33 And so thei yauen to her fadir to drynke wyn in that nyyt, and the more douyter entrede, and slepte with hir fadir; and he feelide not, nethir whanne the douytir lay doun, nether whanne sche roos.
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.
34 And in the tothir dai the more douytir seide to the lasse, Lo! Y slepte yistirdai with my fadir, yyue we to hym to drynk wyn also in this nyyt; and thou schalt slepe with hym, that we saue seed of oure fadir.
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."
35 And thei yauen to her fadir also in that nyyt to drynke wyn, and the lesse douytir entride, and slepte with him; and sotheli he feelide not thanne whanne sche lay doun, nether whanne sche roos.
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.
36 Therfor the twei douytris of Loth conseyuede of hir fadir.
Thus both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 And the more douytre childide a sone, and clepide his name Moab; he is the fadir of men of Moab `til in to present dai.
The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 And the lesse douyter childide a sone, and clepide his name Amon, that is, the sone of my puple; he is the fadir of men of Amon til to day.
The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben Ammi. He is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

< Genesis 19 >