Chapter 19

And the two angels came to Sodom in theevening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of thecity. And seeing them, he rose up and wentto meet them: and worshipped prostrate to theground.2 And said: I beseech you, my lords, turn into the house of your servant, and lodge there:wash your feet, and in the morning you shall goon your way. And they said: No, but we willabide in the street.3 He pressed them very much to turn in untohim: and when they were come into his house, hemade them a feast, and baked unleavened bread,and they ate:4 But before they went to bed, the men of thecity beset the house, both young and old, all thepeople together.5 And they called Lot, and said to him: Whereare the men that came in to thee at night? bringthem out hither, that we may know them:6 Lot went out to them, and shut the doorafter him, and said:7 Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, donot commit this evil.8 I have two daughters who, as yet, have notknown man; I will bring them out to you, andabuse you them as it shall please you, so thatyou do no evil to these men, because they arecome in under the shadow of my roof.9 But they said: Get thee back thither. Andagain: Thou camest in, said they, as a stranger,was it to be a judge? therefore we will afflictthee more than them. And they pressed veryviolently upon Lot: and they were even at thepoint of breaking open the doors.10 And behold the men put out their hand,and drew in Lot unto them, and shut the door.11 And them, that were without, they struckwith blindness from the least to the greatest, sothat they could not find the door.12 And they said to Lot: Hast thou here anyof thine? son in law, or sons, or daughters, allthat are thine bring them out of this city:13 For we will destroy this place, because theircry is grown loud before the Lord, who hath sentus to destroy them.14 So Lot went out, and spoke to his sonsin law that were to have his daughters, and said:Arise: get you out of this place, because the Lordwill destroy this city. And he seemed to them tospeak as it were in jest.15 And when it was morning, the angelspressed him, saying: Arise, take thy wife, andthe two daughters that thou hast: lest thou alsoperish in the wickedness of the city.16 And as he lingered, they took his hand, andthe hand of his wife, and of his two daughters,because the Lord spared him.17 And they brought him forth, and set himwithout the city: and there they spoke to him,saying: Save thy life: look not back, neither staythou in all the country about: but save thy selfin the mountain, lest thou be also consumed.18 And Lot said to them: I beseech thee, myLord,19 Because thy servant hath found grace before thee, and thou hast magnified thy mercy,which thou hast shewn to me, in saving my life,and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest someevil seize me, and I die.20 There is this city here at hand, to which Imay flee, it is a little one, and I shall be saved init: is it not a little one, and my soul shall live?21 And he said to him: Behold also in this, Ihave heard thy prayers, not to destroy the cityBook of Genesis 23for which thou hast spoken.22 Make haste, and be saved there: becauseI cannot do any thing till thou go in thither.Therefore the name of that city was called Segor.23 The sun was risen upon the earth, and Lotentered into Segor.24 And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out ofheaven.25 And he destroyed these cities, and all thecountry about, all the inhabitants of the cities,and all things that spring from the earth.26 And his wife looking behind her, wasturned into a statue of salt.27 And Abraham got up early in the morning,and in the place where he had stood before withthe Lord:28 He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha,and the whole land of that country: and he sawthe ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke ofa furnace.29 Now when God destroyed the cities of thatcountry, remembering Abraham, he deliveredLot out of the destruction of the cities whereinhe had dwelt.30 And Lot went up out of Segor, and abodein the mountain, and his two daughters with him(for he was afraid to stay in Segor) and he dweltin a cave, he and his two daughters with him.31 And the elder said to the younger: Ourfather is old, and there is no man left on theearth, to come in unto us after the manner ofthe whole earth.32 Come, let us make him drunk with wine,and let us lie with him, that we may preserveseed of our father.33 And they made their father drink wine thatnight: and the elder went in, and lay with herfather: but he perceived not, neither when hisdaughter lay down, nor when she rose up.34 And the next day the elder said to theyounger: Behold I lay last night with my father,let us make him drink wine also to night, andthou shalt lie with him, that we may save seedof our father.35 They made their father drink wine thatnight also, and the younger daughter went in,and lay with him: and neither then did he perceive when she lay down, nor when she rose up.36 So the two daughters of Lot were with childby their father.37 And the elder bore a son, and she calledhis name Moab: he is the father of the Moabitesunto this day.38 The younger also bore a son, and she calledhis name Ammon; that is, the son of my people:he is the father of the Ammonites unto this day.