Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

19 The two angels^(A) arrived at Sodom^(B) in the evening, and Lot^(C) was sitting in the gateway of the city.^(D) When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.^{(E) 2} “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet^(F) 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.”^(G)

³ But he insisted^(H) so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.^(I) He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast,^(J) and they ate.^{(K) 4} Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom^(L)—both young and old—surrounded the house. ⁵ 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.”^(M)

⁶ Lot went outside to meet them^(N) and shut the door behind him ⁷ and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. ⁸ 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.”^(O)

⁹ “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner,^(P) and now he wants to play the judge!^(Q) 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^(R) 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^(S) 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?^(T) Get them out of here, ¹³ because we^(U) are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great^(V) that he has sent us to destroy it.”^(W)

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

⁴⁹ “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:^(A) She and her daughters were arrogant,^(B) overfed and unconcerned;^(C) they did not help the poor and needy.^{(D) 50} They were haughty^(E) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.^(F)

⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world^(A) when he brought the flood on its ungodly people,^(B) but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;^{(C) 6} if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,^(D) and made them an example^(E) of what is going to happen to the ungodly;^{(F) 7} and if he rescued Lot,^(G) a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless^{(H) 8} (for that righteous man,^(I) living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials^(J) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.^{(K) 10} This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire^(L) of the flesh^[a] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;^{(M) 11} yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from^[b] the Lord.^(N)

The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household^(A) to the land^(B) I will show you.^(C)

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot^(I) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old^(J) when he set out from Harran.^{(K) 5} He took his wife Sarai,^(L) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated^(M) and the people^(N) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,^(O) and they arrived there.

⁶ Abram traveled through the land^(P) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh^(Q) at Shechem.^(R) At that time the Canaanites^(S) were in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram^(T) and said, “To your offspring^[c] I will give this land.^(U)”^(V) So he built an altar there to the Lord,^(W) who had appeared to him.

⁸ From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel^(X) and pitched his tent,^(Y) with Bethel on the west and Ai^(Z) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.^(AA)

⁹ Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.^(AB)

Abram in Egypt^(AC)

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land,^(AD) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.^{(AE) 11} As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,^(AF) “I know what a beautiful woman^(AG) you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister,^(AH) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.^{(AI) 15} And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.^(AJ)

¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted^(AK) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household^(AL) because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”^(AM) he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?^{(AN) 19} Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’^(AO) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Abram and Lot Separate

13 So Abram went up from Egypt^(AP) to the Negev,^(AQ) with his wife and everything he had, and Lot^(AR) went with him. ² Abram had become very wealthy^(AS) in livestock^(AT) and in silver and gold.

³ From the Negev^(AU) he went from place to place until he came to Bethel,^(AV) to the place between Bethel and Ai^(AW) where his tent had been earlier ⁴ and where he had first built an altar.^(AX) There Abram called on the name of the Lord.^(AY)

⁵ Now Lot,^(AZ) who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.^{(BA) 7} And quarreling^(BB) arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites^(BC) and Perizzites^(BD) were also living in the land^(BE) at that time.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot,^(BF) “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me,^(BG) or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.^{(BH) 9} Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”^(BI)

¹⁰ Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain^(BJ) of the Jordan toward Zoar^(BK) was well watered, like the garden of the Lord,^(BL) like the land of Egypt.^(BM) (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom^(BN) and Gomorrah.)^{(BO) 11} So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan,^(BP) while Lot^(BQ) lived among the cities of the plain^(BR) and pitched his tents near Sodom.^{(BS) 13} Now the people of Sodom^(BT) were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.^(BU)

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.^{(BV) 15} All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring^[d] forever.^{(BW) 16} I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.^{(BX) 17} Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land,^(BY) for I am giving it to you.”^(BZ)

¹⁸ So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre^(CA) at Hebron,^(CB) where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.^(CC)

Abram Rescues Lot

14 At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar,^[e](CD) Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer^(CE) king of Elam^(CF) and Tidal king of Goyim, ² these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim,^(CG) and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).^{(CH) 3} All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim^(CI) (that is, the Dead Sea Valley^(CJ)). ⁴ For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer,^(CK) but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

⁵ In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer^(CL) and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites^(CM) in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites^(CN) in Shaveh Kiriathaim ⁶ and the Horites^(CO) in the hill country of Seir,^(CP) as far as El Paran^(CQ) near the desert. ⁷ Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh),^(CR) and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites,^(CS) as well as the Amorites^(CT) who were living in Hazezon Tamar.^(CU)

⁸ Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah,^(CV) the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim^(CW) and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar)^(CX) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim^{(CY) 9} against Kedorlaomer^(CZ) king of Elam,^(DA) Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim^(DB) was full of tar^(DC) pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah^(DD) fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills.^{(DE) 11} The four kings seized all the goods^(DF) of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. ¹² They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot^(DG) and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

¹³ A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.^(DH) Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre^(DI) the Amorite, a brother^[f] of Eshkol^(DJ) and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. ¹⁴ When Abram heard that his relative^(DK) had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained^(DL) men born in his household^(DM) and went in pursuit as far as Dan.^{(DN) 15} During the night Abram divided his men^(DO) to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.^{(DP) 16} He recovered^(DQ) all the goods^(DR) and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

¹⁷ After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer^(DS) and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom^(DT) came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).^(DU)

¹⁸ Then Melchizedek^(DV) king of Salem^(DW) brought out bread^(DX) and wine.^(DY) He was priest of God Most High,^{(DZ) 19} and he blessed Abram,^(EA) saying,

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.^(EE)

²¹ The king of Sodom^(EF) said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods^(EG) for yourself.”

²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom,^(EH) “With raised hand^(EI) I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High,^(EJ) Creator of heaven and earth,^{(EK) 23} that I will accept nothing belonging to you,^(EL) not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ ²⁴ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre.^(EM) Let them have their share.”