Genesis 19
1 Veneruntque duo Angeli Sodomam vespere, et sedente Lot in foribus civitatis. Qui cum vidisset eos, surrexit, et ivit obviam eis: adoravitque pronus in terram,
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 et dixit: Obsecro, domini, declinate in domum pueri vestri, et manete ibi: lavate pedes vestros, et mane proficiscemini in viam vestram. Qui dixerunt: Minime, sed in platea manebimus.
“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 Compulit illos oppido ut diverterent ad eum: ingressisque domum illius fecit convivium, et coxit azyma: et comederunt.
But Lot insisted, and they went with him to his house. He made them a meal and baked bread for them to eat.
4 Prius autem quam irent cubitum, viri civitatis vallaverunt domum a puero usque ad senem, omnis populus simul.
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 Vocaveruntque Lot, et dixerunt ei: Ubi sunt viri qui introierunt ad te nocte? educ illos huc, ut cognoscamus eos.
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 Egressus ad eos Lot, post tergum occludens ostium, ait:
Lot went out to talk to them in the doorway, closing the door behind him.
7 Nolite, quaeso, fratres mei, nolite malum hoc facere.
“My friends, please don't do such an evil thing!
8 Habeo duas filias, quae necdum cognoverunt virum: educam eas ad vos, et abutimini eis sicut vobis placuerit, dummodo viris istis nihil mali faciatis, quia ingressi sunt sub umbra culminis mei.
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 At illi dixerunt: Recede illuc. Et rursus: Ingressus es, inquiunt, ut advena; numquid ut iudices? te ergo ipsum magis quam hos affligemus. Vimque faciebant Lot vehementissime: iamque prope erat ut effringerent fores.
“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 Et ecce miserunt manum viri, et introduxerunt ad se Lot, clauseruntque ostium:
But the men inside reached out and grabbed Lot, dragged him inside, and slammed the door shut.
11 et eos, qui foris erant, percusserunt caecitate a minimo usque ad maximum, ita ut ostium invenire non possent.
Then they made all the men in the doorway, young and old, suddenly go blind so they couldn't find the door.
12 Dixerunt autem ad Lot: Habes hic quempiam tuorum? generum, aut filios, aut filias, omnes, qui tui sunt, educ de urbe hac:
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 delebimus enim locum istum, eo quod increverit clamor eorum coram Domino, qui misit nos ut perdamus illos.
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 Egressus itaque Lot, locutus est ad generos suos qui accepturi erant filias eius, et dixit: Surgite, et egredimini de loco isto: quia delebit Dominus civitatem hanc. Et visus est eis quasi ludens loqui.
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 Cumque esset mane, cogebant eum Angeli, dicentes: Surge, tolle uxorem tuam, et duas filias quas habes: ne et tu pariter pereas in scelere civitatis.
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 Dissimulante illo, apprehenderunt manum eius, et manum uxoris, ac duarum filiarum eius, eo quod parceret Dominus illi.
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 Eduxeruntque eum, et posuerunt extra civitatem: ibique locuti sunt ad eum, dicentes: Salva animam tuam: noli respicere post tergum, nec stes in omni circa regione: sed in monte salvum te fac, ne et tu simul pereas.
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 Dixitque Lot ad eos: Quaeso Domine mi,
“Please sir, not that!” Lot replied.
19 quia invenit servus tuus gratiam coram te, et magnificasti misericordiam tuam quam fecisti mecum, ut salvares animam meam, nec possum in monte salvari, ne forte apprehendat me malum, et moriar:
“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 Est civitas haec iuxta, ad quam possum fugere, parva, et salvabor in ea: numquid non modica est, et vivet anima mea?
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 Dixitque ad eum: Ecce etiam in hoc suscepi preces tuas, ut non subvertam urbem pro qua locutus es.
“Fine—I'll do as you ask,” he replied. “I won't destroy this town you've mentioned.
22 Festina, et salvare ibi: quia non potero facere quidquam donec ingrediaris illuc. Idcirco vocatum est nomen urbis illius Segor.
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 Sol egressus est super terram, et Lot ingressus est Segor.
The sun had already risen by the time Lot reached Zoar.
24 Igitur Dominus pluit super Sodomam et Gomorrham sulphur et ignem a Domino de caelo:
Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.
25 et subvertit civitates has, et omnem circa regionem, universos habitatores urbium, et cuncta terrae virentia.
He completely destroyed the towns and all their inhabitants, the whole valley and everything growing there.
26 Respiciensque uxor eius post se, versa est in statuam salis.
But Lot's wife, who was lagging behind, looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham autem consurgens mane, ubi steterat prius cum Domino,
Abraham got up early the next morning and went back to where he had stood before the Lord.
28 intuitus est Sodomam et Gomorrham, et universam terram regionis illius: viditque ascendentem favillam de terra quasi fornacis fumum.
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 Cum autem subverteret Deus civitates regionis illius, recordatus Abrahae, liberavit Lot de subversione urbium in quibus habitaverat.
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 Ascenditque Lot de Segor, et mansit in monte, duae quoque filiae eius cum eo (timuerat enim manere in Segor) et mansit in spelunca ipse, et duae filiae eius cum eo.
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 Dixitque maior ad minorem: Pater noster senex est, et nullus virorum remansit in terra qui possit ingredi ad nos iuxta morem universae terrae.
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 Veni, inebriemus eum vino, dormiamusque cum eo, ut servare possimus ex patre nostro semen.
Come on, let's get our father drunk with wine and sleep with him so we can keep his family line going.”
33 Dederunt itaque patri suo bibere vinum nocte illa: Et ingressa est maior, dormivitque cum patre: at ille non sensit, nec quando accubuit filia, nec quando surrexit.
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 Altera quoque die dixit maior ad minorem: Ecce dormivi heri cum patre meo, demus ei bibere vinum etiam hac nocte, et dormies cum eo, ut salvemus semen de patre nostro.
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 Dederunt etiam et illa nocte patri suo bibere vinum, ingressaque minor filia, dormivit cum eo: et ne tunc quidem sensit quando concubuerit, vel quando illa surrexerit.
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 Conceperunt ergo duae filiae Lot de patre suo.
This is how both Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 Peperitque maior filium, et vocavit nomen eius Moab: ipse est pater Moabitarum usque in praesentem diem.
The older daughter had a son, and she called him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.
38 Minor quoque peperit filium, et vocavit nomen eius Ammon, idest filius populi mei: ipse est pater Ammonitarum usque hodie.
The younger daughter had a son too, and she called him Ben-ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
