Genesis 19:4-23

4Before they lay down, 1the men of the city--the men of Sodom--surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people 2from every quarter; 5and they called to Lot and said to him, “3Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may 4have 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 look, 5I have two daughters who have not 6had relations with any man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them 7whatever you like; only do not do anything to these men, because they have come under the 8shelter of my roof.” 9But they said, “Get out of the way!” They also said, “This one came in 9as a foreigner, and already 10he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them!” So they pressed hard against 11Lot and moved forward to break the door. 10But 12the men reached out their 13hands and brought Lot into the house 14with them, and shut the door. 11Then 15they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, from the small to the great, so that they became weary of trying to find the doorway.

12Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else do you have here? A son-in-law and your sons and daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13for we are about to destroy this place, because 16their outcry has become so great before the Lord that 17the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who 18were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, 19get out of this place, for the Lord is destroying the city.” 20But he appeared to his sons-in-law 21to be joking.

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 22punishment of the city.” 16But he hesitated. So the men 23grasped his hand and the hand of his wife and the 24hands of his two daughters, because 25the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out and put him outside the city. 17When they had brought them outside, 26one said, “27Escape for your life! 28Do not look behind you, and do not stay 29anywhere in the 30surrounding area; escape to 31the 32mountains, 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 compassion, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the 33mountains, 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?) 34so that my life may be saved.” 21And he said to him, “Behold, I grant you this 35request 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 town was named 3637Zoar.

23The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.