Genesis 19:1-28 ▼

1 And 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.

2 And 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.”

3 And 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.

4 And 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.

5 And 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.”

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

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

8 Behold 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 And 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.

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

11 And 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.

12 And 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.

13 For 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.”

14 And 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.

15 And 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.”

16 And 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.

17 And 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!”

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

19 Behold, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28 And 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.