10 Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain[a] of the Jordan(A) as far as Zoar(B) was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden(C) and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)(D) 11 So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on the plain and set up his tent near Sodom. 13 (Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely[b] against the Lord.)(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 13:10 Lit circle; i.e., probably the large round plain where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, also in v. 11
  2. 13:13 Lit evil and sinful

10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain(A) of the Jordan toward Zoar(B) was well watered, like the garden of the Lord,(C) like the land of Egypt.(D) (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom(E) and Gomorrah.)(F) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan,(G) while Lot(H) lived among the cities of the plain(I) and pitched his tents near Sodom.(J) 13 Now the people of Sodom(K) were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.(L)

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Abraham’s Plea for Sodom

16 The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off. 17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?(A) 18 Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.(B) 19 For I have chosen[a] him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. 21 I will go down(C) to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.”

22 The men turned from there and went toward Sodom(D) while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[b] 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(E) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it? 25 You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?” (F)

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”(G)

27 Then Abraham answered, “Since I have ventured to speak to my lord—even though I am dust and ashes— 28 suppose the fifty righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”

He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

29 Then he spoke to him again, “Suppose forty are found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it on account of forty.”

30 Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Then he said, “Since I have ventured to speak to my lord, suppose twenty are found there?”

He replied, “I will not destroy it on account of twenty.”

32 Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time.(H) Suppose ten are found there?”

He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of ten.” 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

19 The two angels entered Sodom(I) in the evening as Lot was sitting in Sodom’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground and said, “My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.”

“No,” they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.” But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate.

Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!” (J)

Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him. He said, “Don’t do this evil, my brothers. Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t been intimate with a man.(K) I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want[c] to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.”

“Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as an alien, but he’s acting like a judge!(L) Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door. 10 But the angels[d] reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the entrance of the house, both young and old, with blindness[e] so that they were unable to find the entrance.(M)

12 Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, 13 for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is so great before the Lord, that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”(N)

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

15 At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment[f] of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.

17 As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them[g] said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords[h]—please. 19 Your servant has indeed found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. 20 Look, this town is close enough for me to flee to. It is a small place. Please let me run to it—it’s only a small place, isn’t it?—so that I can survive.”

21 And he said to him, “All right,[i] I’ll grant your request[j] about this matter too and will not demolish the town you mentioned. 22 Hurry up! Run to it, for I cannot do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.[k](P)

23 The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then out of the sky the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the Lord.(Q) 25 He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.(R)

27 Early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the Lord.(S) 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

Footnotes

  1. 18:19 Lit known
  2. 18:22 Alt Hb tradition reads while the Lord remained standing before Abraham
  3. 19:8 Lit do what is good in your eyes
  4. 19:10 Lit men, also in v. 12
  5. 19:11 Or a blinding light
  6. 19:15 Or iniquity, or guilt
  7. 19:17 LXX, Syr, Vg read outside, they
  8. 19:18 Or my Lord, or my lord
  9. 19:21 Or “Look!
  10. 19:21 Lit I will lift up your face
  11. 19:22 In Hb, the name Zoar is related to “small” in v. 20; its previous name was “Bela”; Gn 14:2.

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 When the men(A) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham(B) what I am about to do?(C) 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,(D) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[a] 19 For I have chosen him(E), so that he will direct his children(F) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord(G) by doing what is right and just,(H) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”(I)

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom(J) and Gomorrah is so great(K) and their sin so grievous(L) 21 that I will go down(M) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men(N) turned away and went toward Sodom,(O) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[b](P) 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(Q) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[c] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?(R) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing(S)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous(T) and the wicked alike.(U) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge(V) of all the earth do right?”(W)

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.(X)

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,(Y) 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,(Z) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.(AA) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,(AB) I will not destroy it.”

33 When the Lord had finished speaking(AC) with Abraham, he left,(AD) and Abraham returned home.(AE)

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

19 The two angels(AF) arrived at Sodom(AG) in the evening, and Lot(AH) was sitting in the gateway of the city.(AI) When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.(AJ) “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet(AK) 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.”(AL)

But he insisted(AM) so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.(AN) He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast,(AO) and they ate.(AP) Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom(AQ)—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.”(AR)

Lot went outside to meet them(AS) 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.”(AT)

“Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner,(AU) and now he wants to play the judge!(AV) 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(AW) 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(AX) 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?(AY) Get them out of here, 13 because we(AZ) are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great(BA) that he has sent us to destroy it.”(BB)

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

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(BE) when the city is punished.(BF)

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

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,[e] please! 19 Your[f] servant has found favor in your[g] eyes,(BM) and you[h] have shown great kindness(BN) to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains;(BO) 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(BP) 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.[i](BQ))

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar,(BR) the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur(BS) on Sodom and Gomorrah(BT)—from the Lord out of the heavens.(BU) 25 Thus he overthrew those cities(BV) and the entire plain,(BW) destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.(BX) 26 But Lot’s wife looked back,(BY) and she became a pillar of salt.(BZ)

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.(CA) 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.(CB)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)
  2. Genesis 18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
  3. Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26
  4. Genesis 19:14 Or were married to
  5. Genesis 19:18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord
  6. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  7. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  8. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  9. Genesis 19:22 Zoar means small.

10 Hear the word of the Lord,(A)
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!(B)
11 “What are all your sacrifices to me?”
asks the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
and the fat of well-fed cattle;
I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
lambs, or male goats.(C)
12 When you come to appear before me,
who requires this from you—
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing useless offerings.(D)
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons and Sabbaths,(E)
and the calling of solemn assemblies(F)
I cannot stand iniquity(G) with a festival.
14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.
They have become a burden to me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,(H)
I will refuse to look at you;
even if you offer countless prayers,
I will not listen.(I)
Your hands are covered with blood.(J)

Purification of Jerusalem

16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.(K)
Remove your evil deeds from my sight.
Stop doing evil.(L)
17 Learn to do what is good.
Pursue justice.(M)
Correct the oppressor.[a]
Defend the rights of the fatherless.
Plead the widow’s cause.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:17 Or Aid the oppressed

10 Hear the word of the Lord,(A)
    you rulers of Sodom;(B)
listen to the instruction(C) of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(D)
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;(E)
I have no pleasure(F)
    in the blood of bulls(G) and lambs and goats.(H)
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,(I)
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!(J)
    Your incense(K) is detestable(L) to me.
New Moons,(M) Sabbaths and convocations(N)
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon(O) feasts and your appointed festivals(P)
    I hate with all my being.(Q)
They have become a burden to me;(R)
    I am weary(S) of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands(T) in prayer,
    I hide(U) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.(V)

Your hands(W) are full of blood!(X)

16 Wash(Y) and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;(Z)
    stop doing wrong.(AA)
17 Learn to do right;(AB) seek justice.(AC)
    Defend the oppressed.[a](AD)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;(AE)
    plead the case of the widow.(AF)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor