¹⁵ When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ^(A)“Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men ^(B)took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the ^(C)Lord being merciful to him, ^(D)and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that ^[a]he said, ^(E)“Escape for your life! ^(F)Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape ^(G)to the mountains, lest you be ^[b]destroyed.”

¹⁸ Then Lot said to them, “Please, ^(H)no, my lords! ¹⁹ Indeed 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. ²⁰ See 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.”

²¹ And he said to him, “See, ^(I)I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there. For ^(J)I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”

Therefore ^(K)the name of the city was called ^[c]Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained ^(L)brimstone and ^(M)fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ So He ^[d]overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and ^(N)what grew on the ground.

²⁶ But his wife looked back behind him, and she became ^(O)a pillar of salt.

²⁷ And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where ^(P)he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸ Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, ^(Q)the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. ²⁹ And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God ^(R)remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

⁹ For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, ¹⁰ night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face ^(A)and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Prayer for the Church

¹¹ Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(B)direct our way to you. ¹² And may the Lord make you increase and ^(C)abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³ so that He may establish ^(D)your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

The Coming of the Son of Man^(A)

^25 (B)“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, ^(C)for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man ^(D)coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because ^(E)your redemption draws near.”

The Parable of the Fig Tree^(F)

^29 (G)Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. ³¹ So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. ^33 (H)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My ^(I)words will by no means pass away.

The Importance of Watching^(J)

³⁴ “But ^(K)take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with ^[a]carousing, drunkenness, and ^(L)cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. ³⁵ For ^(M)it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ^36 (N)Watch therefore, and ^(O)pray always that you may ^[b]be counted ^(P)worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and ^(Q)to stand before the Son of Man.”