Genesis 19:1-29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Depravity of Sodom
19 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.(A) 2 He said, “Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet; then you can rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the square.”(B) 3 But he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house, and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.(C) 4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house, 5 and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.”(D) 6 Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him,(E) 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”(F) 9 But they replied, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot and came near the door to break it down.(G) 10 But the men inside reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door.(H)
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city—bring them out of the place.(I) 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”(J) 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.(K)
15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be consumed in the punishment of the city.”(L) 16 But he lingered, so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and left him outside the city.(M) 17 When they had brought them outside, they[a] said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.”(N) 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords; 19 your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life, but I cannot flee to the hills, for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. 20 Look, that city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Very well, I grant you this favor too and will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.(O) 22 Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” Therefore the city was called Zoar.[b] 23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven,(P) 25 and he overthrew those cities and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground.(Q) 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.(R)
27 Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord,(S) 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain and saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of a furnace.(T)
29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled.(U)
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Genesis 19:1-29
International Standard Version
Sodom’s Depravity
19 The two angels entered Sodom at sunset while Lot was sitting in the gate area of the city.[a] When Lot saw them,[b] he got up, greeted them, bowed low with his face to the ground, 2 and said, “Look, my lords! Please come inside your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and be on your way.”
But they responded, “No, we would rather spend the night in the town square.”
3 But Lot[c] kept urging them strongly, so they turned aside and entered his house. He prepared a festival and baked unleavened flat bread for them, and they ate.
4 Before they could lie down, all the men of Sodom and its outskirts, both young and old, surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot and asked, “Where are the men who came to visit[d] you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with[e] them!”
6 Lot went outside to them, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “I urge you, my brothers, don’t do such a wicked thing. 8 Look here, I have two daughters who are virgins.[f] Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish,[g] only don’t do anything to these men, because they’re here under my protection.”[h]
9 But they replied, “Get out of the way! This man came here as a foreigner, and now he’s acting like a judge! So we’re going to deal more harshly with you than with them.” Then they pushed hard against the man (that is, against Lot), intending to break down the door.
10 But the angels[i] inside reached out, dragged Lot back into the house with them, shut the door, 11 and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway.
Lot Negotiates with the Angels
12 “Do you have anyone else here in the city?” the angels[j] asked Lot. “A son-in-law? Sons? Daughters? Get them out of this place, 13 because we’re going to destroy it. Their outcry has come to the attention of the Lord, so he[k] sent us here to destroy it!”
14 Lot then went out and told his sons-in-law (they had married his daughters), “Get out of here! The Lord is going to destroy this city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 As dawn was breaking, the angels pressured Lot. “Get going!” they told him. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be engulfed by the devastation that’s coming to this city.”
16 But Lot kept lingering in the city,[l] so the men[m] grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters (because of the Lord’s compassion for him!), brought them out of the city, and left them outside. 17 Then one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere on the plain. Escape to the hills, or you’ll be swept away!”
18 “No! Please, my lords!” Lot pleaded with them. 19 “Your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me your gracious love in how you have dealt with me by keeping me alive. I cannot escape to the hills, because I’m afraid the disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it’s a small one. Let me escape there! It’s a small one, isn’t it? That way I’ll stay alive!”
21 “All right,” the angel replied to Lot,[n] “I’ll agree with your request![o] I won’t overthrow the town that you mentioned. 22 Hurry up and flee there, because I cannot do anything until you get to that town.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.[p]
Lot’s Wife Becomes a Pillar of Salt
23 The sun had risen over the land about the time Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained sulfur and fire out of the sky from the Lord on Sodom and Gomorrah, 25 overthrowing those cities, all of the plain, and everyone who lived in the cities. He also destroyed the plants that grew out of the ground. 26 But Lot’s[q] wife looked back as she lingered behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord earlier. 28 He looked off toward Sodom, Gomorrah, and the entire[r] plain, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace. 29 And so it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 19:1 Lit. of Sodom
- Genesis 19:1 The Heb. lacks them
- Genesis 19:3 Lit. he
- Genesis 19:5 The Heb. lacks visit
- Genesis 19:5 Lit. can know
- Genesis 19:8 Lit. have not known a man
- Genesis 19:8 Lit. seems good in your eyes
- Genesis 19:8 Lit. under the shadow of my roof
- Genesis 19:10 Lit. men
- Genesis 19:12 Lit. men
- Genesis 19:13 Lit. so the Lord
- Genesis 19:16 The Heb. lacks in the city
- Genesis 19:16 Or angels
- Genesis 19:21 Lit. him
- Genesis 19:21 Lit. I’ll lift up your face in this matter as well!
- Genesis 19:22 The Heb. name Zoar means small
- Genesis 19:26 Lit. his
- Genesis 19:28 Lit. entire land of the
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