Genesis 19

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 When the two angels reached Sodom in the evening, Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. As soon asLot saw them, he stood up to greet them, and bowed to the ground.	1 The two angels reached Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he got up to greet them; and bowing down with his face to the ground,
2 'My lords,' he said, 'please come down to your servant's house to stay the night and wash your feet.Then you can make an early start on your journey.' 'No,' they said, 'we shal spend the night in the square.'	2 he said, "Please, gentlemen, come aside into your servant's house for the night, and bathe your feet; you can get up early to continue your journey." But they replied, "No, we shall pass the night in the town square."
3 But he pressed them so much that they went home with him and entered his house. He prepared ameal for them, baking unleavened bread, and they had supper.	3 He urged them so strongly, however, that they turned aside to his place and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking cakes without leaven, and they dined.
4 They had not gone to bed when the house was surrounded by the townspeople, the men of Sodomboth young and old, al the people without exception.	4 Before they went to bed, all the townsmen of Sodom, both young and old--all the people to the last man--closed in on the house.
5 Cal ing out to Lot they said, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us sothat we can have intercourse with them.'	5 They called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intimacies with them."
6 Lot came out to them at the door and, having shut the door behind him,	6 Lot went out to meet them at the entrance. When he had shut the door behind him,
7 said, 'Please, brothers, do not be wicked.	7 he said, "I beg you, my brothers, not to do this wicked thing.
8 Look, I have two daughters who are virgins. I am ready to send them out to you, for you to treat asyou please, but do nothing to these men since they are now under the protection of my roof.'	8 I have two daughters who have never had intercourse with men. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you please. But don't do anything to these men, for you know they have come under the shelter of my roof."
9 But they retorted, 'Stand back! This fel ow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play thejudge. Now we shal treat you worse than them.' Then they forced Lot back and moved forward to break downthe door.	9 They replied, "Stand back! This fellow," they sneered, "came here as an immigrant, and now he dares to give orders! We'll treat you worse than them!" With that, they pressed hard against Lot, moving in closer to break down the door.
10 But the men reached out, pul ed Lot back into the house with them, and shut the door.	10 But his guests put out their hands, pulled Lot inside with them, and closed the door;
11 And they dazzled those who were at the door of the house, one and al , with a blinding light, so thatthey could not find the doorway.	11 at the same time they struck the men at the entrance of the house, one and all, with such a blinding light that they were utterly unable to reach the doorway.
12 The men said to Lot, 'Have you anyone else here? Your sons, your daughters and al your people inthe city, take them away,	12 Then the angels said to Lot: "Who else belongs to you here? Your sons (sons-in-law) and your daughters and all who belong to you in the city--take them away from it!
13 for we are about to destroy this place, since the outcry to Yahweh against those in it has grown soloud that Yahweh has sent us to destroy it.'	13 We are about to destroy this place, for the outcry reaching the LORD against those in the city is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
14 So Lot went off and spoke to his future sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters. 'On your feet!'he said, 'Leave this place, for Yahweh is about to destroy the city.' But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.	14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had contracted marriage with his daughters. "Get up and leave this place," he told them; "the LORD is about to destroy the city." But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 When dawn broke the angels urged Lot on, 'To your feet! Take your wife and your two daughterswho are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.'	15 As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, "On your way! Take with you your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city."
16 And as he hesitated, the men seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters --Yahweh being merciful to him -- and led him out and left him outside the city.	16 When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD'S mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city.
17 When they had brought him outside, he was told, 'Flee for your life. Do not look behind you or stopanywhere on the plain. Flee to the hil s or you wil be swept away.'	17 As soon as they had been brought outside, he was told: "Flee for your life! Don't look back or stop anywhere on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away."
18 'Oh no, my lord!' Lot said to them,	18 "Oh, no, my lord!" replied Lot.
19 'You have already been very good to your servant and shown me even greater love by saving mylife, but I cannot flee to the hil s, or disaster wil overtake me and I shall die.	19 "You have already thought enough of your servant to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life. But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me, and so I shall die.
20 That town over there is near enough to flee to, and is small. Let me flee there-after al it is only asmal place -- and so survive.'	20 Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to. It's only a small place. Let me flee there--it's a small place, isn't it?--that my life may be saved."
21 He replied, 'I grant you this favour too, and wil not overthrow the town you speak of.	21 "Well, then," he replied, "I will also grant you the favor you now ask. I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
22 Hurry, flee to that one, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.' That is why the town is namedZoar.	22 Hurry, escape there! I cannot do anything until you arrive there." That is why the town is called Zoar.
23 The sun rose over the horizon just as Lot was entering Zoar.	23 The sun was just rising over the earth as Lot arrived in Zoar;
24 Then Yahweh rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire of his own sending.	24 at the same time the LORD rained down sulphurous fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah (from the LORD out of heaven).
25 He overthrew those cities and the whole plain, with al the people living in the cities and everythingthat grew there.	25 He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain, together with the inhabitants of the cities and the produce of the soil.
26 But Lot's wife looked back, and was turned into a pil ar of salt.	26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
27 Next morning, Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood before Yahweh,	27 Early the next morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood in the LORD'S presence.
28 and looking towards Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole area of the plain, he saw the smoke risingfrom the ground like smoke from a furnace.	28 As he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole region of the Plain, he saw dense smoke over the land rising like fumes from a furnace.
29 Thus it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he did not forget Abraham and herescued Lot from the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities where Lot was living.	29 Thus it came to pass: when God destroyed the Cities of the Plain, he was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living.
30 After leaving Zoar Lot settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he dared not stay at Zoar.He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.	30 Since Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, he and his two daughters went up from Zoar and settled in the hill country, where he lived with his two daughters in a cave.
31 The elder said to the younger, 'Our father is an old man, and there is no one here to marry us in thenormal way of the world.	31 The older one said to the younger: "Our father is getting old, and there is not a man on earth to unite with us as was the custom everywhere.
32 Come on, let us ply our father with wine and sleep with him. In this way we can preserve the race byour father.'	32 Come, let us ply our father with wine and then lie with him, that we may have offspring by our father."
33 That night they made their father drunk, and the elder slept with her father though he was unaware ofher coming to bed or of her leaving.	33 So that night they plied their father with wine, and the older one went in and lay with her father; but he was not aware of her lying down or her getting up.
34 The next day the elder said to the younger, 'Last night, I was the one who slept with our father. Letus make him drunk again tonight, and you go and sleep with him. In this way we can preserve the race by ourfather.'	34 Next day the older one said to the younger: "Last night it was I who lay with my father. Let us ply him with wine again tonight, and then you go in and lie with him, that we may both have offspring by our father."
35 They made their father drunk that night too, and the younger went and slept with him, though he wasunaware of her coming to bed or of her leaving.	35 So that night, too, they plied their father with wine, and then the younger one went in and lay with him; but again he was not aware of her lying down or her getting up.
36 Both Lot's daughters thus became pregnant by their father.	36 Thus both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 The elder gave birth to a son whom she named Moab; and he is the ancestor of the Moabites of ourown times.	37 The older one gave birth to a son whom she named Moab, saying, "From my father." He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.
38 The younger also gave birth to a son whom she named Ben-Ammi; and he is the ancestor of theBene-Ammon of our own times.	38 The younger one, too, gave birth to a son, and she named him Ammon, saying, "The son of my kin." He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.