1The two messengers entered Sodom in the evening. Lot, who was sitting at the gate of Sodom, saw them, got up to greet them, and bowed low. 2He said, “Come to your servant’s house, spend the night, and wash your feet. Then you can get up early and go on your way.”

But they said, “No, we will spend the night in the town square.” 3He pleaded earnestly with them, so they went with him and entered his house. He made a big meal for them, even baking unleavened bread, and they ate.

4Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom—everyone from the youngest to the oldest—surrounded the house 5and called to Lot, “Where are the men who arrived tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may have sex with them.”

6Lot went out toward the entrance, closed the door behind him, 7and said, “My brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. 8I’ve got two daughters who are virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish. But don’t do anything to these men because they are now under the protection of my roof.”

9They said, “Get out of the way!” And they continued, “Does this immigrant want to judge us? Now we will hurt you more than we will hurt them.” They pushed Lot back and came close to breaking down the door. 10The men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house with them and slammed the door. 11Then the messengers blinded the men near the entrance of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, so that they groped around trying to find the entrance.

12The men said to Lot, “Who’s still with you here? Take away from this place your sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and everyone else you have in the city 13because we are about to destroy this place. The LORD has found the cries of injustice so serious that the LORD sent us to destroy it.”

14Lot went to speak to his sons-in-law, married to his daughters, and said, “Get up and get out of this place because the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

15When dawn broke, the messengers urged Lot, “Get up and take your wife and your two daughters who are here so that you are not swept away because of the evil in this city.” 16He hesitated, but because the LORD intended to save him, the men grabbed him, his wife, and two daughters by the hand, took him out, and left him outside the city.

17After getting them out, the men said, “Save your lives! Don’t look back! And don’t stay in the valley. Escape to the mountains so that you are not swept away.”

18But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please. 19You’ve done me a favor and have been so kind to save my life. But I can’t escape to the mountains since the catastrophe might overtake me there and I’d die. 20This city here is close enough to flee to, and it’s small. It’s small, right? Let me escape there, and my life will be saved.”

21He said to Lot, “I’ll do this for you as well; I won’t overthrow the city that you have described. 22Hurry! Escape to it! I can’t do anything until you get there.” That is why the name of the city is Zoar.#19.22 Or small

Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed

23As the sun rose over the earth, Lot arrived in Zoar; 24and the LORD rained down burning asphalt from the skies onto Sodom and Gomorrah. 25The LORD destroyed these cities, the entire valley, everyone who lived in the cities, and all of the fertile land’s vegetation. 26When Lot’s wife looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt.

27Abraham set out early for the place where he had stood with the LORD, 28and looked out over Sodom and Gomorrah and over all the land of the valley. He saw the smoke from the land rise like the smoke from a kiln.

Origin of Moab and Ammon

29When God destroyed the cities in the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot away from the disaster that overtook the cities in which Lot had lived. 30Since Lot had become fearful of living in Zoar, he and his two daughters headed up from Zoar and settled in the mountains where he and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31The older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there are no men in the land to sleep with us as is the custom everywhere. 32Come on, let’s give our father wine to drink, lie down with him, and we’ll have children from our father.” 33That night they served their father wine, and the older daughter went in and lay down with her father, without him noticing when she lay down or got up. 34The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Since I lay down with our father last night, let’s serve him wine tonight too, and you go in and lie down with him so that we will both have children from our father.” 35They served their father wine that night also, and the younger daughter lay down with him, without him knowing when she lay down or got up. 36Both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of today’s Moabites. 38The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-ammi.#19.38 Or son of my people He is the ancestor of today’s Ammonites.

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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.

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Genesis 19

Genesis 19