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Lot Leaves Sodom

19 The two ·angels [messengers] came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting near the ·city gate [L gate of Sodom; C the administrative center of a city]. When he saw them, he got up ·and went to [to meet] them and bowed facedown on the ground. Lot said, “·Sirs [My lords], please come to ·my [L your servant’s] house and spend the night. There you can wash your feet, and then ·tomorrow you may [L you can get up early and] continue your journey.”

The ·angels [messengers] answered, “No, we will spend the night in the city’s public square.”

But Lot ·begged them [entreated/urged them strongly] to come, so they ·agreed [L turned aside to him] and went to his house. Then Lot prepared a ·meal [feast; banquet] for them. He baked ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread], and they ate it.

Before ·bedtime [L they lay down], men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house. They called to Lot, “Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can ·have sexual relations with [L know] them.”

Lot went ·outside [L out the door] to them, closing the door behind him. He said, “No, my brothers! Do not do this evil thing. Look! I have two daughters who have never ·slept with [had sexual relations with; L known] a man. I will give them to you, and you may do anything you want with them. But please don’t do anything to these men. They have come ·to my house, and I must protect them [L under the shelter/shade of my roof].”

The men around the house answered, “·Move out of the way [Stand back]!” Then they said to each other, “This ·man Lot [fellow; L one] came to our city as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien], and now he wants to ·tell us what to do [L judge us]!” They said to Lot, “We will do worse things to you than to them.” They started pushing him back and were ready to break down the door.

10 But ·the two men staying with Lot [L the men] ·opened the door, [L reached out their hands and] pulled him back inside the house, and then closed the door. 11 They struck those outside the door with ·blindness [a blinding flash], so the men, both ·young and old [L small and great], could not find the door.

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have ·any other relatives in this city [L anyone else here]? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or any other relatives? If you do, ·tell them to leave now [get them out of this place], 13 because we are about to destroy this ·city [L place]. ·The Lord has heard of all the evil that is here [L Great is the outcry against them before the Lord], so he has sent us to destroy it.”

14 So Lot went out and said to his future sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters, “·Hurry and leave this city [L Get up and get out of this place]! The Lord is about to destroy it!” But ·they [L his sons-in-law] thought Lot was joking.

15 ·At dawn the next morning [L As morning dawned], the ·angels [messengers] ·begged [urged] Lot to hurry. They said, “Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be ·destroyed [swept away] when the city is punished.”

16 But Lot ·delayed [lingered; dawdled]. So the two men ·took [grabbed; seized] the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family. 17 After they brought them out of the city, one of the men said, “·Run [Flee] for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere in the ·valley [or plain]. Run to the mountains, or you will be ·destroyed [swept away].”

18 But Lot said to one of them, “·Sir, please don’t force me to go so far [L Oh no, my lord]! 19 ·You have been merciful [L Your servant has found grace in your eyes] and ·kind to me [L you have shown great kindness to me] and have saved my life. But I can’t ·run [flee] to the mountains. The disaster will catch me, and I will die. 20 Look, that little town over there is ·not too far away [L near enough to flee to]. Let me run there. It’s really just a little town, and ·I’ll be safe there [L my life will be saved/spared].”

21 The angel said to Lot, “Very well, I will ·allow you to do this also [show you this favor; L lift up your face]. I will not ·destroy that town [L overthrow the town of which you speak]. 22 But run there fast, because I cannot ·destroy Sodom [L do anything] until you are safely in that town.” (That town is named Zoar, because it is little [C Zoar sounds like the Hebrew word for “little”].)

Sodom and Gomorrah Are Destroyed

23 The sun had already ·come up [L risen over the earth] when Lot entered Zoar. 24 The Lord sent a rain of ·burning sulfur [sulfur and fire] down from ·the sky [heaven] on Sodom and Gomorrah 25 and ·destroyed [overturned] those cities. He also ·destroyed [overturned] the whole ·Jordan Valley [valley; or plain], everyone living in the cities, and even all the plants.

26 At that point Lot’s wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar of salt.

27 Early the next morning, Abraham got up and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the ·Jordan Valley [L valley; or plain] and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

29 God destroyed the cities in the ·valley [or plain], but he remembered what Abraham had asked. So ·God saved Lot’s life, but he [L he sent Lot out of the overthrow/upheaval when he] ·destroyed [overturned] the city where Lot had lived [Deut. 29:23; Is. 1:9; 13:19; Jer. 50:40; Amos 4:11; Matt. 10:15; 11:23–24; Jude 1:7; Rev. 11:8].

Lot and His Daughters

30 Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave. 31 One day the ·older daughter [L firstborn] said to the younger, “Our father is old. ·Everywhere on the earth women and men marry, but there are no men around here for us to marry [L There is no man on earth to come into us according to the way of all the earth]. 32 Let’s get our father ·drunk [L to drink wine] and ·have sexual relations [L we will lie] with him. ·We can use him to have children and continue our family [L …so we may preserve offspring/seed through our father].”

33 That night the two girls ·got their father drunk [L made their father drink wine], and the ·older daughter [L firstborn] went and ·had sexual relations [L lay] with him. But Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

34 The next day the ·older daughter [L firstborn] said to the younger, “Last night I ·had sexual relations [lay] with my father. Let’s get him ·drunk [L to drink wine] again tonight so you can go and ·have sexual relations [L lay] with him, too. In this way we can ·use our father to have children to continue our family [preserve offspring/seed through our father].” 35 So that night they got their father ·drunk [L to drink wine] again, and the younger daughter went and ·had sexual relations [L lay] with him. Again, Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

36 So both of Lot’s daughters ·became pregnant [conceived] by their father. 37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of all the Moabite people who are still living today [C located to the east of the Dead Sea in what is today Jordan; the name sounds like “from the father” in Hebrew]. 38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi [C sounds like “son of my relative” in Hebrew]. He is the father of all the Ammonite people [C located just north of Moab; Moab and Ammon were enemies of Israel] who are still living today [C at the time this was written].

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

19 The two angels(A) arrived at Sodom(B) in the evening, and Lot(C) was sitting in the gateway of the city.(D) When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.(E) “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet(F) and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”

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

But he insisted(H) so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.(I) He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast,(J) and they ate.(K) Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom(L)—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”(M)

Lot went outside to meet them(N) and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”(O)

“Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner,(P) and now he wants to play the judge!(Q) We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

10 But the men(R) inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness(S) so that they could not find the door.

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you?(T) Get them out of here, 13 because we(U) are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great(V) that he has sent us to destroy it.”(W)

14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry[a] his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!(X)” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.(Y)

15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away(Z) when the city is punished.(AA)

16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters(AB) and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.(AC) 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives!(AD) Don’t look back,(AE) and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!(AF) Flee to the mountains(AG) or you will be swept away!”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,[b] please! 19 Your[c] servant has found favor in your[d] eyes,(AH) and you[e] have shown great kindness(AI) to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains;(AJ) this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request(AK) too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.[f](AL))

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar,(AM) the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur(AN) on Sodom and Gomorrah(AO)—from the Lord out of the heavens.(AP) 25 Thus he overthrew those cities(AQ) and the entire plain,(AR) destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.(AS) 26 But Lot’s wife looked back,(AT) and she became a pillar of salt.(AU)

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.(AV) 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.(AW)

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain,(AX) he remembered(AY) Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe(AZ) that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.(BA)

Lot and His Daughters

30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar(BB) and settled in the mountains,(BC) for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line(BD) through our father.”(BE)

33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.(BF)

34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”(BG) 35 So they got their father to drink wine(BH) that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.(BI)

36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.(BJ) 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab[g];(BK) he is the father of the Moabites(BL) of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi[h]; he is the father of the Ammonites[i](BM) of today.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 19:14 Or were married to
  2. Genesis 19:18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord
  3. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  4. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  5. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  6. Genesis 19:22 Zoar means small.
  7. Genesis 19:37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father.
  8. Genesis 19:38 Ben-Ammi means son of my father’s people.
  9. Genesis 19:38 Hebrew Bene-Ammon