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^(A) when the city is punished.^(B)”

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

¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,^[a] please! ¹⁹ Your^[b] servant has found favor in your^[c] eyes,^(I) and you^[d] have shown great kindness^(J) to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains;^(K) 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^(L) 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.^[e](M))