Genesis 19

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;

1Two angels came to the city of Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting at the city gate. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed down low with his face toward the ground.

2And 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.

2He said, "My lords, please come to my house. I am your servant. Wash your feet and stay the night. In the morning you can get up early and go on your way." They said, "No. We will sleep outside in the town square."

3And 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.

3But Lot kept asking them, so they came into his house. He made them a big meal. He baked flat bread made without yeast, and they ate.

4But 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:

4Before they lay down to sleep, the men of the city came. Every man of Sodom, young and old, stood all around the house.

5And 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.

5They called out to Lot, "Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us. We want to have sex with them."

NoteThe KJV says the men wanted to "know" the visitors. In old English, "know" could mean to have sex with someone. That is what the men were demanding.

6And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

6Lot went out the door to the men. He shut the door behind him.

7And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

7He said, "Please, my brothers, do not do such a wicked thing."

8Behold 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.

8"Look, I have two daughters. Neither one has ever been with a man. Let me bring them out to you instead. You may do to them whatever you want. Only do nothing to these two men. They came into my house, and I must keep them safe."

9And 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.

9The men said, "Get out of the way!" They said, "This man came here as a stranger. Now he wants to tell us what is right! We will treat you worse than them." They shoved Lot hard and came close to breaking the door down.

10But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

10But the two visitors reached out their hands. They pulled Lot back inside the house and shut the door.

11And 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.

11Then they made the men outside the door go blind, young and old. The men kept feeling for the door until they wore themselves out.

12And 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:

12The two visitors said to Lot, "Is anyone else here who belongs to you? A son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, anyone in the city? Get them out of this place."

13For 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.

13"We are going to destroy this place. The cry against the people here has come up to the LORD. It is so loud that He has sent us to destroy the city."

14And 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.

14So Lot went out to the men who were promised in marriage to his daughters. He said, "Get up! Get out of this place! The LORD is going to destroy this city!" But they thought he was joking.

15And 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.

15At first light the angels hurried Lot along. They said, "Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. If you stay, you will be swept away when the city is punished."

16And 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.

16But Lot kept waiting. So the two men took him by the hand. They took his wife and his two daughters by the hand too. The LORD was kind to them. The men led them out and set them down outside the city.

17And 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.

17Once they were outside, one of them said, "Run for your life! Do not look behind you. Do not stop anywhere on the flat land. Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away."

18And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:

18Lot said to them, "Oh no, my lord, please not that!"

19Behold 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:

19"You have been kind to me, your servant. You have shown me great mercy by saving my life. But I cannot run all the way to the mountains. Something terrible will catch me on the way, and I will die."

20Behold 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.

20"Look, there is a town close by that I can reach. It is only a small one. Please let me run there instead. It is small, isn't it? Then I will live."

21And 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.

21He said to Lot, "All right. I will do this for you too. I will not destroy the town you are talking about."

22Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

22"Hurry! Run there fast. I cannot do anything until you get there." That is why the town was named Zoar.

NoteThe name Zoar means "small." Lot had begged to run to a small town, and the name stayed with it.

23The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

23The sun had come up over the land by the time Lot reached Zoar.

24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

24Then the LORD rained burning sulfur and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah. It came from the LORD, out of the heavens above.

Note"Brimstone" in the KJV is an old word for sulfur. Sulfur is a yellow rock that burns with a strong smell.

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

25He destroyed those cities and all the flat land around them. He destroyed everyone living there and every plant growing in the ground.

26But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

26But Lot's wife looked back behind her. She became a pillar of salt, a tall block of salt standing there.

27And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:

27Early the next morning Abraham got up. He went back to the place where he had stood before the LORD.

28And 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.

28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the flat land. He saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a hot oven.

29And 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.

29When God destroyed the cities on the plain, He remembered Abraham. So He brought Lot out safely before the cities where Lot lived were destroyed.

30And 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.

30Lot left Zoar and went up to live in the mountains. His two daughters went with him. He was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.

31And 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:

31The older daughter said to her sister, "Our father is old. There is no man anywhere near here for us to marry, the way people do everywhere else."

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

32"Come, let us give our father wine until he is drunk. Then we will sleep with him. That way our family will keep going through him."

33And 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.

33That night they gave their father wine until he was drunk. The older daughter went in and slept with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

34And 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.

34The next day the older daughter said to her sister, "Last night I slept with our father. Let us give him wine again tonight. Then you go in and sleep with him. That way our family will keep going through him."

35And 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.

35That night they gave their father wine again. The younger daughter went in and slept with him. He did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

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

36So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

37And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

37The older daughter had a son. She named him Moab. He is the father of the people called Moabites, who still live today.

38And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

38The younger daughter also had a son. She named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the people called Ammonites, who still live today.