19 3 Lot receiveth two Angels into his house. 4 The filthy lusts of the Sodomites. 16 Lot is delivered. 14 Sodom is destroyed. 26 Lot’s wife is made a pillar of salt. 33 Lot’s daughters lie with their father, of whom came Moab and Ammon. 

And in the evening there came two [a]Angels to Sodom: and Lot sat at the gate of Sodom, and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face to the ground.

And he said, See my lords, I pray you turn in now into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and (A)wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early and go your ways. Who said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night.

Then [b]he pressed upon them earnestly, and they turned in to him, and came to his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they [c]did eat.

But before they went to bed, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom compassed the house round about, from the young even to the old, [d]all the people from all quarters.

Who crying unto Lot said to him, Where are the men, which came to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

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

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

Behold now, I have two [e]daughters, which have not known man: them will I bring out now unto you, and do them as seemeth you good: only unto these men do nothing: [f]for therefore are they come under the shadow of my roof.

Then they said, Away hence: and they said, He is come alone as a stranger, and shall he judge and rule? we will now deal worse with thee than with them. So they pressed sore upon Lot (B)himself, and came 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 Then they smote the men that were at the door of the house, with blindness, both small and great, so that they were weary in [g]seeking the door.

12 ¶ Then the men said unto Lot, Whom hast thou yet here? either son-in-law, or thy sons or thy daughters, or whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring it out of this place.

13 For [h]we will destroy this place, because the (C)cry of them is great before the Lord, and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.

14 Then Lot went out and spake unto his sons-in-law, which [i]married his daughters, and said, Arise, get you out of this place: for the Lord will destroy the city, but he seemed to his sons-in-law, as though he had mocked.

15 ¶ And when the morning arose, the Angels hasted Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters [j]which are here, lest thou be destroyed in the punishment of the city.

16 And as he [k]prolonged the time, the men caught both him and his wife, and his two daughters by the hands (the Lord being merciful unto him) and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

17 ¶ And when they had brought them out, the Angel said, Escape for thy life: [l]look not behind thee, neither tarry thou in all the plain: escape into the mountain, lest thou be destroyed.

18 And Lot said unto them, Not so, I pray thee, my Lord.

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

20 See now this city hereby to flee unto, which is a little one: Oh let me escape thither: is it not a [m]little one, and my soul shall live?

21 Then he said unto him, Behold, I have received [n]thy request also concerning this thing, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

22 Haste thee, save thee there: for I can do [o]nothing till thou come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called [p]Zoar.

23 ¶ The sun did rise upon the earth, when Lot entered into Zoar.

24 Then the Lord (D)rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven,

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

26 ¶ Now his wife behind him looked back, and she became a [q]pillar of salt.

27 ¶ And Abraham rising up early in the morning went to the place, where he had stood before the Lord,

28 And looking toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, behold, he saw the smoke of the land mounting up as the smoke of a furnace.

29 ¶ But yet when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God thought upon Abraham, and sent Lot out from the midst of the destruction, when he overthrew the cities, wherein Lot dwelled.

30 ¶ Then Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain with his two daughters for he [r]feared to tarry in Zoar, but dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 And the elder said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the [s]earth, to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth.

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

33 So they made their father drink wine that night, and the elder went and lay with her father: but he perceived not, neither when she lay down, neither when she rose up.

34 And on the morrow the elder said to the younger, Behold, yester night lay I with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also, and go thou and lie with him, that we may [u]preserve seed of our father.

35 So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose, and lay with him: but he perceived it not, when she lay down, neither when she rose up.

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

37 And the elder bare a son, and she called his name Moab: the same is the father of the [w]Moabites unto this day.

38 And the younger bare a son also, and she called his name [x]Ben-Ammi: the same is the father of the Ammonites unto this day.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 19:1 Wherein we see God’s provident care in preserving his: albeit he revealeth not himself to all alike: for Lot had but two Angels, and Abraham three.
  2. Genesis 19:3 That is, he prayed them so instantly.
  3. Genesis 19:3 Not for that they had necessity, but because the time was not yet come that they would reveal themselves.
  4. Genesis 19:4 Nothing is more dangerous than to dwell where sin reigneth: for it corrupteth all.
  5. Genesis 19:8 He deserveth praise in defending his guests, but he is to be blamed in seeking unlawful means.
  6. Genesis 19:8 That I should preserve them from all injury.
  7. Genesis 19:11 Hebrew, finding.
  8. Genesis 19:13 This proveth that the Angels are ministers, as well to execute God’s wrath, as to declare his favor.
  9. Genesis 19:14 Or, should marry.
  10. Genesis 19:15 Hebrew, which are found.
  11. Genesis 19:16 The mercy of God striveth to overcome man’s slowness in following God’s calling.
  12. Genesis 19:17 He willed him to flee from God’s judgments, and not to be sorry to depart from that rich country, and full of vain pleasures.
  13. Genesis 19:20 Though it be little, yet it is great enough to save my life: wherein he offendeth in choosing another place than the Angel had appointed him.
  14. Genesis 19:21 Hebrew, thy face.
  15. Genesis 19:22 Because God’s commandment was to destroy the city, and to save Lot.
  16. Genesis 19:22 Which before was called Bela, Gen. 14:2.
  17. Genesis 19:26 As touching the body only: and this is a notable monument of God’s vengeance to all them that passed that way.
  18. Genesis 19:30 Having before felt God’s mercy, he durst not provoke him again by continuing among the wicked.
  19. Genesis 19:31 Meaning in the country, which the Lord had now destroyed.
  20. Genesis 19:32 For except he had been overcome with wine, he would never have done that abominable act.
  21. Genesis 19:34 Hebrew, keep alive.
  22. Genesis 19:36 Thus God permitted him to fall most horribly in the solitary mountains, whom the wickedness of Sodom could not overcome.
  23. Genesis 19:37 Who as they were born in most horrible incest, so were they and their posterity vile and wicked.
  24. Genesis 19:38 That is, son of my people: signifying that they rather rejoiced in their sin, than repented for the same.

19 It was evening when the two angels came to Sodom. Lot was sitting at Sodom’s [city] gate. Seeing them, Lot rose up to meet them and bowed to the ground.

And he said, My lords, turn aside, I beg of you, into your servant’s house and spend the night and bathe your feet. Then you can arise early and go on your way. But they said, No, we will spend the night in the square.

[Lot] entreated and urged them greatly until they yielded and [with him] entered his house. And he made them a dinner [with drinking] and had unleavened bread which he baked, and they ate.

But before they lay down, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, all the men from every quarter, surrounded the house.

And they called to Lot and said, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know (be intimate with) them.

And Lot went out of the door to the men and shut the door after him

And said, I beg of you, my brothers, do not behave so wickedly.

Look now, I have two daughters who are virgins; let me, I beg of you, bring them out to you, and you can do as you please with them. But only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.

But they said, Stand back! And they said, This fellow came in to live here temporarily, and now he presumes to be [our] judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they rushed at and pressed violently against Lot and came close to breaking down the door.

10 But the men [the angels] reached out and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door after him.

11 And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness [which dazzled them], from the youths to the old men, so that they wearied themselves [groping] to find the door.

12 And the [two] men asked Lot, Have you any others here—sons-in-law or your sons or your daughters? Whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place,

13 For we will spoil and destroy [Sodom]; for the outcry and shriek against its people has grown great before the Lord, and He has sent us to destroy it.

14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will spoil and destroy this city! But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be [only] joking.

15 When morning came, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife and two daughters who are here [and be off], lest you [too] be consumed and swept away in the iniquity and punishment of the city.

16 But while he lingered, the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, for the Lord was merciful to him; and they brought him forth and set him outside the city and left him there.

17 And when they had brought them forth, they said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you or stop anywhere in [a]the whole valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], lest you be consumed.

18 And Lot said to them, Oh, not that, my lords!

19 Behold now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your kindness and mercy to me in saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.

20 See now yonder city; it is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape to it! Is it not a little one? And my life will be saved!

21 And [the angel] said to him, See, I have yielded to your entreaty concerning this thing also; I will not destroy this city of which you have spoken.

22 Make haste and take refuge there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar [little].

23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot entered Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens.

25 He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

26 But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she [b]became a pillar of salt.

27 Abraham went up early the next morning to the place where he [only the day before] had stood before the Lord.

28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and saw, and behold, the smoke of [c]the country went up like the smoke of a furnace.

29 When God ravaged and destroyed the cities of the plain [of Siddim], He [earnestly] remembered Abraham [imprinted and fixed him indelibly on His mind], and He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities where Lot lived.

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 lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 The elder said to the younger, Our father is aging, and there is not a man on earth to live with us in the customary way.

32 Come, let us make our father drunk with wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring (our race) through our father.

33 And they made their father drunk with wine that night, and the older went in and lay with her father; and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose.

34 Then the next day the firstborn said to the younger, See here, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drunk with wine tonight also, and then you go in and lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring (our race) through our father.

35 And they made their father drunk with wine again that night, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose.

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

37 The older bore a son, and named him Moab [of a father]; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.

38 The younger also bore a son and named him Ben-ammi [son of my people]; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 19:17 The valley which Lot had once so much coveted (Gen. 13:10, 11).
  2. Genesis 19:26 Lot’s wife not only “looked back” to where her heart’s interests were, but she lingered behind; and probably overtaken by the fire and brimstone, her dead body became incrusted with salt, which, in that salt-packed area now the Dead Sea, grew larger with more incrustations—a veritable “pillar of salt.” In fact, at the southern end of the Dead Sea there is a mountain of table salt called Jebel Usdum, “Mount of Sodom.” It is about six miles long, three miles wide, and 1,000 feet high. It is covered with a crust of earth several feet thick, but the rest of the mountain is said to be solid salt (George T. B. Davis, Rebuilding Palestine According to Prophecy). Somewhere in this area Lot’s wife looked back to where her treasures and her heart were, and “she became a pillar of salt.” Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32).
  3. Genesis 19:28 Not only were Sodom and Gomorrah blazing ruins, but also Admah and Zeboiim (Deut. 29:23; Hos. 11:8), as well as all the towns in the Valley of Siddim; Zoar was the lone exception.