Genesis, 19

1. The two angels reached Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he got up to greet them; and bowing down with his face to the ground,

1. When the two angels reached Sodom in the evening, Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. As soon as Lot saw them, he stood up to greet them, and bowed to the ground.

2. he said, "Please, gentlemen, come aside into your servant's house for the night, and bathe your feet; you can get up early to continue your journey." But they replied, "No, we shall pass the night in the town square."

2. 'My lords,' he said, 'please come down to your servant's house to stay the night and wash your feet. Then you can make an early start on your journey.' 'No,' they said, 'we shall spend the night in the square.'

3. He urged them so strongly, however, that they turned aside to his place and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking cakes without leaven, and they dined.

3. But he pressed them so much that they went home with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking unleavened bread, and they had supper.

4. Before they went to bed, all the townsmen of Sodom, both young and old--all the people to the last man--closed in on the house.

4. They had not gone to bed when the house was surrounded by the townspeople, the men of Sodom both young and old, all the people without exception.

5. They called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intimacies with them."

5. Calling out to Lot they said, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so that we can have intercourse with them.'

6. Lot went out to meet them at the entrance. When he had shut the door behind him,

6. Lot came out to them at the door and, having shut the door behind him,

7. he said, "I beg you, my brothers, not to do this wicked thing.

7. said, 'Please, brothers, do not be wicked.

8. I have two daughters who have never had intercourse with men. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you please. But don't do anything to these men, for you know they have come under the shelter of my roof."

8. Look, I have two daughters who are virgins. I am ready to send them out to you, for you to treat as you please, but do nothing to these men since they are now under the protection of my roof.'

9. They replied, "Stand back! This fellow," they sneered, "came here as an immigrant, and now he dares to give orders! We'll treat you worse than them!" With that, they pressed hard against Lot, moving in closer to break down the door.

9. But they retorted, 'Stand back! This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge. Now we shall treat you worse than them.' Then they forced Lot back and moved forward to break down the door.

10. But his guests put out their hands, pulled Lot inside with them, and closed the door;

10. But the men reached out, pulled Lot back into the house with them, and shut the door.

11. at the same time they struck the men at the entrance of the house, one and all, with such a blinding light that they were utterly unable to reach the doorway.

11. And they dazzled those who were at the door of the house, one and all, with a blinding light, so that they could not find the doorway.

12. Then the angels said to Lot: "Who else belongs to you here? Your sons (sons-in-law) and your daughters and all who belong to you in the city--take them away from it!

12. The men said to Lot, 'Have you anyone else here? Your sons, your daughters and all your people in the city, take them away,

13. We are about to destroy this place, for the outcry reaching the LORD against those in the city is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."

13. for we are about to destroy this place, since the outcry to Yahweh against those in it has grown so loud that Yahweh has sent us to destroy it.'

14. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had contracted marriage with his daughters. "Get up and leave this place," he told them; "the LORD is about to destroy the city." But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

14. So Lot went off and spoke to his future sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters. 'On your feet!' he said, 'Leave this place, for Yahweh is about to destroy the city.' But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

15. As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, "On your way! Take with you your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city."

15. When dawn broke the angels urged Lot on, 'To your feet! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.'

16. When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD'S mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city.

16. And as he hesitated, the men seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters -- Yahweh being merciful to him -- and led him out and left him outside the city.

17. As soon as they had been brought outside, he was told: "Flee for your life! Don't look back or stop anywhere on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away."

17. When they had brought him outside, he was told, 'Flee for your life. Do not look behind you or stop anywhere on the plain. Flee to the hills or you will be swept away.'

18. "Oh, no, my lord!" replied Lot.

18. 'Oh no, my lord!' Lot said to them,

19. "You have already thought enough of your servant to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life. But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me, and so I shall die.

19. 'You have already been very good to your servant and shown me even greater love by saving my life, but I cannot flee to the hills, or disaster will overtake me and I shall die.

20. Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to. It's only a small place. Let me flee there--it's a small place, isn't it?--that my life may be saved."

20. That town over there is near enough to flee to, and is small. Let me flee there-after all it is only a small place -- and so survive.'

21. "Well, then," he replied, "I will also grant you the favor you now ask. I will not overthrow the town you speak of.

21. He replied, 'I grant you this favour too, and will not overthrow the town you speak of.

22. Hurry, escape there! I cannot do anything until you arrive there." That is why the town is called Zoar.

22. Hurry, flee to that one, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.' That is why the town is named Zoar.

23. The sun was just rising over the earth as Lot arrived in Zoar;

23. The sun rose over the horizon just as Lot was entering Zoar.

24. at the same time the LORD rained down sulphurous fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah (from the LORD out of heaven).

24. Then Yahweh rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire of his own sending.

25. He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain, together with the inhabitants of the cities and the produce of the soil.

25. He overthrew those cities and the whole plain, with all the people living in the cities and everything that grew there.

26. But Lot's wife looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

26. But Lot's wife looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt.

27. Early the next morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood in the LORD'S presence.

27. Next morning, Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood before Yahweh,

28. As he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole region of the Plain, he saw dense smoke over the land rising like fumes from a furnace.

28. and looking towards Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole area of the plain, he saw the smoke rising from the ground like smoke from a furnace.

29. Thus it came to pass: when God destroyed the Cities of the Plain, he was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living.

29. Thus it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he did not forget Abraham and he rescued Lot from the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities where Lot was living.

30. Since Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, he and his two daughters went up from Zoar and settled in the hill country, where he lived with his two daughters in a cave.

30. After leaving Zoar Lot settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he dared not stay at Zoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31. The older one said to the younger: "Our father is getting old, and there is not a man on earth to unite with us as was the custom everywhere.

31. The elder said to the younger, 'Our father is an old man, and there is no one here to marry us in the normal way of the world.

32. Come, let us ply our father with wine and then lie with him, that we may have offspring by our father."

32. Come on, let us ply our father with wine and sleep with him. In this way we can preserve the race by our father.'

33. So that night they plied their father with wine, and the older one went in and lay with her father; but he was not aware of her lying down or her getting up.

33. That night they made their father drunk, and the elder slept with her father though he was unaware of her coming to bed or of her leaving.

34. Next day the older one said to the younger: "Last night it was I who lay with my father. Let us ply him with wine again tonight, and then you go in and lie with him, that we may both have offspring by our father."

34. The next day the elder said to the younger, 'Last night, I was the one who slept with our father. Let us make him drunk again tonight, and you go and sleep with him. In this way we can preserve the race by our father.'

35. So that night, too, they plied their father with wine, and then the younger one went in and lay with him; but again he was not aware of her lying down or her getting up.

35. They made their father drunk that night too, and the younger went and slept with him, though he was unaware of her coming to bed or of her leaving.

36. Thus both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

36. Both Lot's daughters thus became pregnant by their father.

37. The older one gave birth to a son whom she named Moab, saying, "From my father." He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.

37. The elder gave birth to a son whom she named Moab; and he is the ancestor of the Moabites of our own times.

38. The younger one, too, gave birth to a son, and she named him Ammon, saying, "The son of my kin." He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

38. The younger also gave birth to a son whom she named Ben-Ammi; and he is the ancestor of the Bene-Ammon of our own times.