Genesis 19

Sodom’s Depravity

1Now #Gen. 18:2, 16, 22the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and #Gen. 18:1–5Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2And he said, “Here now, my lords, please #Gen. 24:31; (Heb. 13:2)turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and #Gen. 18:4; 24:32wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”

And they said, #Luke 24:28“No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”

3But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. #Gen. 18:6–8; Ex. 23:15; Num. 9:11; 28:17Then he made them a feast, and baked #Ex. 12:8unleavened bread, and they ate.

4Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5#Is. 3:9And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? #Judg. 19:22Bring them out to us that we #Gen. 4:1; Rom. 1:24, 27; Jude 7may know them carnally.”

6So #Judg. 19:23Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8#Judg. 19:24See 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 as you wish; only do nothing to these men, #Gen. 18:5since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

9And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one #2 Pet. 2:7, 8came in to stay here, #Ex. 2:14and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11And they #Gen. 20:17, 18struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

12Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—#Gen. 7:1; 2 Pet. 2:7, 9take them out of this place! 13For we will destroy this place, because the #Gen. 18:20outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and #Lev. 26:30–33; Deut. 4:26; 28:45; 1 Chr. 21:15the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, #Matt. 1:18who had married his daughters, and said, #Num. 16:21, 24, 26, 45; Rev. 18:4“Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” #Ex. 9:21; Jer. 43:1, 2; Luke 17:28; 24:11But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

15When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, #Ps. 37:2; Rev. 18:4“Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16And while he lingered, the men #Deut. 5:15; 6:21; 7:8; 2 Pet. 2:7took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the #Ex. 34:7; Ps. 32:10; 33:18, 19; Luke 18:13Lord being merciful to him, #Ps. 34:22and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, #1 Kin. 19:3; Jer. 48:6“Escape for your life! #Gen. 19:26; Matt. 24:16–18; Luke 9:62; Phil. 3:13, 14Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape #Gen. 14:10to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

18Then Lot said to them, “Please, #Acts 10:14no, my lords! 19Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

21And he said to him, “See, #Job 42:8, 9; Ps. 145:19I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22Hurry, escape there. For #Ex. 32:10; Deut. 9:14I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”

Therefore #Gen. 13:10; 14:2the name of the city was called Zoar.

23The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24Then the Lord rained #Deut. 29:23; Ps. 11:6; Is. 13:19; Jer. 20:16; 23:14; 49:18; 50:40; Ezek. 16:49, 50; Hos. 11:8; Amos 4:11; Zeph. 2:9; Matt. 10:15; Mark 6:11; Luke 17:29; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7; Rev. 11:8brimstone and #Lev. 10:2fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and #Ps. 107:34what grew on the ground.

26But his wife looked back behind him, and she became #Gen. 19:17; Luke 17:32a pillar of salt.

27And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where #Gen. 18:22he had stood before the Lord. 28Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, #Rev. 9:2; 18:9the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God #Gen. 8:1; 18:23; Deut. 7:8; 9:5, 27remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

The Descendants of Lot

30Then Lot went up out of Zoar and #Gen. 19:17, 19dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. 31Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth #Gen. 16:2, 4; 38:8, 9; Deut. 25:5to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we #(Mark 12:19)may preserve the lineage of our father.” 33So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

34It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 35Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

36Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; #Num. 25:1; Deut. 2:9he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; #Num. 21:24; Deut. 2:19he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

Genesis 19

The Depravity of Sodom

1The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2He said, “Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you can rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the square.” 3But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; 5and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.” 6Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, 7and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9But they replied, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near the door to break it down. 10But the men inside reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door.

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

12Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city—bring them out of the place. 13For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up, get out of this place; for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

15When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16But he lingered; so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and left him outside the city. 17When they had brought them outside, they#19.17 Gk Syr Vg: Heb he said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.” 18And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords; 19your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. 20Look, that city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21He said to him, “Very well, I grant you this favor too, and will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” Therefore the city was called Zoar.#19.22 That is Little 23The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

24Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven; 25and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord; 28and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the Plain and saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of a furnace.

29So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled.

The Shameful Origin of Moab and Ammon

30Now Lot went up out of Zoar and settled in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; so he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the world. 32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father.” 33So they made their father drink wine that night; and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she rose. 34On the next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Look, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father.” 35So they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger rose, and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she rose. 36Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab; he is the ancestor of the Moabites to this day. 38The younger also bore a son and named him Ben-ammi; he is the ancestor of the Ammonites to this day.

Choose your language

Genesis 19

Genesis 19