16 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

18 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.

30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.

32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

19 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.

14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:

19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord:

28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37 And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai,(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.(B) But she had an Egyptian slave(C) named Hagar;(D) so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”(F)

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan(G) ten years,(H) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar,(I) and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.(J) Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”(K)

“Your slave is in your hands,(L)” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated(M) Hagar; so she fled from her.

The angel of the Lord(N) found Hagar near a spring(O) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.(P) And he said, “Hagar,(Q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”(R)

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”(S)

11 The angel of the Lord(T) also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.(U)
You shall name him(V) Ishmael,[a](W)
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.(X)
12 He will be a wild donkey(Y) of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward[b] all his brothers.(Z)

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,(AA)” for she said, “I have now seen[c] the One who sees me.”(AB) 14 That is why the well(AC) was called Beer Lahai Roi[d];(AD) it is still there, between Kadesh(AE) and Bered.

15 So Hagar(AF) bore Abram a son,(AG) and Abram gave the name Ishmael(AH) to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old(AI) when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

The Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,(AJ) the Lord appeared to him(AK) and said, “I am God Almighty[e];(AL) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.(AM) Then I will make my covenant between me and you(AN) and will greatly increase your numbers.”(AO)

Abram fell facedown,(AP) and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you:(AQ) You will be the father of many nations.(AR) No longer will you be called Abram[f]; your name will be Abraham,[g](AS) for I have made you a father of many nations.(AT) I will make you very fruitful;(AU) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.(AV) I will establish my covenant(AW) as an everlasting covenant(AX) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God(AY) and the God of your descendants after you.(AZ) The whole land of Canaan,(BA) where you now reside as a foreigner,(BB) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;(BC) and I will be their God.(BD)

Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,(BE) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.(BF) 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.(BG) 11 You are to undergo circumcision,(BH) and it will be the sign of the covenant(BI) between me and you. 12 For the generations to come(BJ) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,(BK) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.(BL) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.(BM) 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised(BN) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;(BO) he has broken my covenant.(BP)

15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai(BQ) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.(BR) 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.(BS) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;(BT) kings of peoples will come from her.”

17 Abraham fell facedown;(BU) he laughed(BV) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?(BW) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”(BX) 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael(BY) might live under your blessing!”(BZ)

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,(CA) and you will call him Isaac.[h](CB) I will establish my covenant with him(CC) as an everlasting covenant(CD) for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.(CE) He will be the father of twelve rulers,(CF) and I will make him into a great nation.(CG) 21 But my covenant(CH) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you(CI) by this time next year.”(CJ) 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.(CK)

23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household(CL) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.(CM) 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old(CN) when he was circumcised,(CO) 25 and his son Ishmael(CP) was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household(CQ), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham(CR) near the great trees of Mamre(CS) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent(CT) in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up(CU) and saw three men(CV) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.(CW)

He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(CX) my lord,[i] do not pass your servant(CY) by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet(CZ) and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat,(DA) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs[j] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”(DB)

Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf(DC) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds(DD) and milk(DE) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.(DF) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

“Where is your wife Sarah?”(DG) they asked him.

“There, in the tent,(DH)” he said.

10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,(DI) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”(DJ)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old,(DK) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.(DL) 12 So Sarah laughed(DM) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord(DN) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’(DO) 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord?(DP) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,(DQ) and Sarah will have a son.”(DR)

15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 When the men(DS) 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(DT) what I am about to do?(DU) 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,(DV) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[k] 19 For I have chosen him(DW), so that he will direct his children(DX) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord(DY) by doing what is right and just,(DZ) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”(EA)

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom(EB) and Gomorrah is so great(EC) and their sin so grievous(ED) 21 that I will go down(EE) 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(EF) turned away and went toward Sodom,(EG) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[l](EH) 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(EI) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[m] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?(EJ) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing(EK)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous(EL) and the wicked alike.(EM) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge(EN) of all the earth do right?”(EO)

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

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,(EQ) 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,(ER) 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.(ES) What if only ten can be found there?”

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

33 When the Lord had finished speaking(EU) with Abraham, he left,(EV) and Abraham returned home.(EW)

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

19 The two angels(EX) arrived at Sodom(EY) in the evening, and Lot(EZ) was sitting in the gateway of the city.(FA) When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.(FB) “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet(FC) 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.”(FD)

But he insisted(FE) so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.(FF) He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast,(FG) and they ate.(FH) Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom(FI)—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.”(FJ)

Lot went outside to meet them(FK) 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.”(FL)

“Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner,(FM) and now he wants to play the judge!(FN) 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(FO) 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(FP) 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?(FQ) Get them out of here, 13 because we(FR) are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great(FS) that he has sent us to destroy it.”(FT)

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

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(FW) when the city is punished.(FX)

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

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,[o] please! 19 Your[p] servant has found favor in your[q] eyes,(GE) and you[r] have shown great kindness(GF) to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains;(GG) 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(GH) 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.[s](GI))

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar,(GJ) the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur(GK) on Sodom and Gomorrah(GL)—from the Lord out of the heavens.(GM) 25 Thus he overthrew those cities(GN) and the entire plain,(GO) destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.(GP) 26 But Lot’s wife looked back,(GQ) and she became a pillar of salt.(GR)

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

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain,(GU) he remembered(GV) Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe(GW) that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.(GX)

Lot and His Daughters

30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar(GY) and settled in the mountains,(GZ) for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line(HA) through our father.”(HB)

33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.(HC)

34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”(HD) 35 So they got their father to drink wine(HE) that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.(HF)

36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.(HG) 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab[t];(HH) he is the father of the Moabites(HI) of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi[u]; he is the father of the Ammonites[v](HJ) of today.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears.
  2. Genesis 16:12 Or live to the east / of
  3. Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of
  4. Genesis 16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.
  5. Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  6. Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
  7. Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.
  8. Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
  9. Genesis 18:3 Or eyes, Lord
  10. Genesis 18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  11. Genesis 18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)
  12. Genesis 18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
  13. Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26
  14. Genesis 19:14 Or were married to
  15. Genesis 19:18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord
  16. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  17. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  18. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  19. Genesis 19:22 Zoar means small.
  20. Genesis 19:37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father.
  21. Genesis 19:38 Ben-Ammi means son of my father’s people.
  22. Genesis 19:38 Hebrew Bene-Ammon