Genesis 19

Lot Welcomes the Angels

1Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,

1And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. And Lot saw them, and he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his nose to the earth.

2and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.”

“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

2And he said, “Behold now, my lords, please, turn in to the house of your servant, and spend the night and wash your feet. And you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, for we will spend the night in the open square.”

3But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

3And he insisted on it strongly, and they turned in to him and entered into his house. And he made them a feast, and he baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.

4And before they lay down, the men of the city—the men of Sodom—encricled the house, from young to old, all the people from the end.

5They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”

5And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you this night? Bring them out to us that we may know them.”

6Lot went outside to meet them, shutting the door behind him.

6And Lot went out to them through the doorway, and he shut the door behind him.

7“Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!

7And he said, “Please, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.

8Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

8Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them according to what is good in your eyes. Only to these men do not anything, for upon thus they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

9“Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.

9And they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This one came in to sojourn, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will act wickedly to you more than to them!” And they pressed hard against the man Lot, and they came near to break down the door.

10But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

10And the men stretched out their hands and pulled Lot with them into the house, and they shut the door.

11And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.

11And they struck with blindness the men who were at the doorway of the house, from small and to great, and they grew weary trying to find the door.

Lot Flees to Zoar

12Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,

12And the men said to Lot, “Who else do you have here—your son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whoever you have in the city? Get them out of the place.

13because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”

13For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of YHWH, and YHWH has sent us to destroy it.”

14So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

14And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, the ones who had taken his daughters, and he said, “Get up, get out of this place, for YHWH will destroy the city.” And he seemed to be joking to his sons-in-law.

15At daybreak the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”

15And as the dawn came up, and the angels pressed Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be destroyed in the iniquity of the city.”

16But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.

16And he lingered, and the men took hold of his hand and of the hand of his wife and of the hand of his two daughters—YHWH being merciful to him—and they brought him out and set him outside of the city.

17As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

17And it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay in all the plain! Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed!”

18But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please!

18And Lot said to them, “No, please, my lords!

19Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.

19Behold, please, your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have increased your kindness, which you have shown me by saving my life. And I am not able to escape to the mountains, lest the evil overtake me and I die.

20Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it is a small place. Please let me flee there—is it not a small place? Then my life will be saved.”

20Behold, please, this city is near to flee there, and it is a small place. Let me escape there, please. Is it not a small place? And my soul shall live!”

21“Very well,” he answered, “I will grant this request as well, and will not demolish the town you indicate.

21And he said to him, “Behold, I have sustained you also concerning this thing without overthrowing the city about which you have spoken.

22Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.” That is why the town was called Zoar.

22Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Upon thus the name of the city was called Zoar.

23And by the time the sun had risen over the land, Lot had reached Zoar.

23When the sun had risen upon the earth and Lot had entered Zoar,

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

24Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.

24then YHWH rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from YHWH out of the heavens.

25Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.

25And He overthrew these cities, and all the plain, and all those dwelling in the cities, and what grew on the ground.

26But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

26And his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27Early the next morning, Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.

27And Abraham rose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood there before the face of YHWH.

28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.

28And he looked toward the face of Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain, and he saw, and behold, smoke from the land went up like the smoke of the furnace.

29So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.

29And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

Lot and His Daughters

30Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in Zoar—where they lived in a cave.

30And Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he dwelt in the cave—he and his two daughters.

31One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us, as is the custom over all the earth.

31And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us, as is the way of all the earth.

32Come, let us get our father drunk with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve his line.”

32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the seed of our father.”

33So that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the firstborn went in and slept with her father; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.

33And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

34The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let us get him drunk with wine again tonight so you can go in and sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.”

34And it came to pass on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed, last night I lay with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the seed of our father.”

35So again that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.

35And they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

36Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.

36And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.

37The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today.

37And the firstborn bore a son, and she called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.

38The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.

38And the younger, she also bore a son, and she called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.