The Angels Visit Sodom
Study note
The two angels arrive in Sodom in the evening, and Lot, sitting at the city gate, insists they stay at his house. He prepares a meal for them. But before they go to bed, all the men of Sodom — young and old — surround the house and demand that Lot bring out his visitors so they can assault them. Lot goes outside and begs them not to do this wicked thing. He even makes a terrible offer of his own daughters, which the crowd rejects. They threaten Lot and try to break down the door. The angels pull Lot inside and strike the men outside with blindness.
1 That evening, the two angels arrived in Sodom. Lot was sitting near the city gate and saw them coming. He stood up right away to greet them and bowed with his face to the ground. 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;
2 "Please, sirs," he said, "come stay at my house tonight. You can wash your feet, get a good night's sleep, and head out early in the morning." They replied, "No thanks — we'll sleep out here in the town square." 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.
3 But Lot kept insisting until they finally agreed. They went home with him, and he made them a nice meal with fresh bread. They sat down and ate. 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.
4 But before anyone could go to sleep, men from all over the city of Sodom — young and old — surrounded the house. 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:
5 They shouted at Lot, "Where are those men who arrived at your house tonight? Send them out here so we can have our way with them!" 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.
6 Lot stepped outside to face them and shut the door behind him. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 He begged them, "Please, friends — don't do something this evil." And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 "Look, I have two daughters who have never been with a man. I will bring them out to you instead — do whatever you want with them. But leave these men alone, because they are guests under my roof." 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.
9 The crowd snarled back, "Get out of the way!" They said, "This guy moved here as a foreigner and now he thinks he can tell us what to do? We're going to treat you even worse than them!" They shoved hard against Lot and were about to smash down the door. 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 two men inside reached out, grabbed Lot, pulled him back into the house, and slammed the door shut. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 Then they struck every man outside the door with blindness -- from the youngest to the oldest. None of them could even find the doorway. 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.
Lot's Family Escapes
Study note
The angels tell Lot to gather anyone he has in the city because they are about to destroy it. Lot warns his future sons-in-law, but they think he is joking. At dawn the angels urge Lot to hurry, but he hesitates. The angels grab the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and lead them out of the city — a clear act of God's mercy. They tell Lot to flee to the mountains and not look back, but Lot begs to go to a small nearby town instead. The angels agree, and Lot flees to Zoar.
12 The two men asked Lot, "Is there anyone else here who belongs to you — sons-in-law, sons, daughters, anyone at all? Get them out of this city right now." 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 "We are about to completely destroy this place. The reports about these people that have reached the Lord are so terrible that he has sent us here to wipe it out." 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 Lot rushed out and found the young men who were engaged to his daughters. "Get up! Get out of this city now!" he urged them. "The Lord is about to destroy it!" But they thought he was making a joke. 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 At the crack of dawn, the angels pushed Lot to hurry up: "Come on! Get your wife and your two daughters out of here right now, or you will all be destroyed when this city is punished!" 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 Lot kept dragging his feet, so the two men physically grabbed him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hands and rushed them out of the city. The Lord was being merciful to them. 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 Once they were outside, one of the men ordered them, "Run for your lives! Don't look behind you and don't stop anywhere on the plain! Head straight for the mountains or you'll be destroyed!" 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 But Lot begged them, "Oh please, no!" And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19 "You have been so kind and gracious to save my life. But I can't make it all the way to the mountains — the destruction might catch up to me and I'll die!" 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 "Look — there's a tiny town right over there, close enough to reach. Please let me run to that little place instead. It's just a small town! Then I'll survive." 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 The angel told him, "All right, I'll grant you that request too. I won't destroy the town you're talking about." 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 "But hurry up and get there fast! I can't do anything until you're safely inside." That little town became known as Zoar, which means 'small.' Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun was just coming up over the horizon when Lot made it to Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Study note
The Lord rains down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, completely destroying these cities, the entire plain, all the people, and everything growing in the ground. Lot's wife looks back, against the angels' direct command, and becomes a pillar of salt. Abraham looks toward Sodom in the morning and sees dense smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace. God remembered Abraham and rescued Lot when he destroyed the cities.
24 Then, the Lord poured down burning sulfur from the sky onto Sodom and Gomorrah. It was fire straight from the Lord out of heaven. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 He destroyed those cities, the whole plain, everyone living there, and even the plants growing from the ground. 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 Lot's wife turned around to look back, and she instantly became a pillar of salt. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Early that morning, Abraham went back to the spot where he had stood talking with the Lord. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28 He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the entire plain below. All he could see was thick smoke billowing up from the land, like smoke pouring out of a giant furnace. 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 When God wiped out the cities on the plain, he remembered Abraham. He took care to get Lot out safely before destroying the cities where Lot had been living. 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.
Lot and His Daughters
Study note
Lot is afraid to stay in Zoar and moves to a cave in the mountains with his two daughters. His daughters, believing there are no men left for them to marry, get their father drunk on two successive nights and sleep with him to preserve their family line. This results in two sons: Moab, who becomes the ancestor of the Moabites, and Ben-Ammi, who becomes the ancestor of the Ammonites. Both nations would later have a troubled relationship with Israel. The story shows how deeply Sodom's corruption affected even Lot's family.
30 After that, Lot was too scared to stay in Zoar, so he left and went up into the mountains with his two daughters. They lived in a cave. 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 One day the older daughter said to the younger one, "Our father is getting old. There are no men around here for us to marry. There is not a single one, like there would be anywhere else." 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 "Let's give our father some wine to drink and then sleep with him. That way our family line won't die out." Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33 So that night they got their father drunk on wine. The older daughter went in and slept with him. He was so out of it that he had no idea what happened. 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 The next day, the older sister said to the younger one, "I was with our father last night. Let's get him drunk again tonight, and this time you go in. That way both of us can keep our family going." 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 They got their father drunk again that night. The younger daughter went in and slept with him. Once again, he was completely unaware of what happened. 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 Both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37 The older daughter had a boy and named him Moab. He became the ancestor of the Moabites who exist today. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 The younger daughter also had a boy and named him Ben-Ammi. He became the ancestor of the Ammonites who exist today. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.