Genesis 19

The Doom of Sodom

1Now the 1two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When 2Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and 3bowed down with his face to the ground. 2And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; 4and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4Before they lay down, 5the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people 6from every quarter; 5and they called to Lot and said to him, “7Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may 8have relations with them.” 6But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8Now behold, 9I have two daughters who have not 10had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them 11whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the 12shelter of my roof.” 9But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in 13as an alien, and already 14he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against 15Lot and came near to break the door. 10But 16the men reached out their 17hands and brought Lot into the house 18with them, and shut the door. 1119They 20struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.

12Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13for we are about to destroy this place, because 21their outcry has become so great before the Lord that 22the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who 23were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, 24get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” 25But he appeared to his sons-in-law 26to be jesting.

15When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the 27punishment of the city.” 16But he hesitated. So the men 28seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the 29hands of his two daughters, for 30the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17When they had brought them outside, 31one said, “32Escape for your life! 33Do not look behind you, and do not stay 34anywhere in the 35valley; escape to 36the 37mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the 38mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) 39that my life may be saved.” 21He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this 40request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called 4142Zoar.

23The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24Then the Lord 43rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, 25and 44He overthrew those cities, and all the 45valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26But his wife, from behind him, 46looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to 47the place where he had stood before the Lord; 28and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the 48valley, and he saw, and behold, 49the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a 50furnace.

29Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the 51valley, that 52God remembered Abraham, and 53sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.

Lot Is Debased

30Lot went up from Zoar, and 5455stayed in the 56mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to 57stay in Zoar; and he 58stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man 59on earth to 60come in to us after the manner of the earth. 32Come, 61let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve 62our family through our father.” 33So 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. 34On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve 63our family through our father.” 35So 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 the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37The firstborn bore a son, and called his name 64Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the 65sons of 66Ammon to this day.