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G EN ES IS 1 9
33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and
Abraham returned to his tent.
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
That evening the two angels came to the
entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was
sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood
up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and
bowed with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,”
he said, “come to my home to wash your feet,
and be my guests for the night. You may then
get up early in the morning and be on your way
again.”
“Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the
night out here in the city square.”
3 But Lot insisted, so at last they went home
with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and
they ate. 4 But before they retired for the night,
all the men of Sodom, young and old, came
from all over the city and surrounded the house.
5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who
came to spend the night with you? Bring them
out to us so we can have sex with them!”
6 So Lot stepped outside to talk to them,
shutting the door behind him. 7 “Please, my
brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked
thing. 8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let
me bring them out to you, and you can do with
them as you wish. But please, leave these men
alone, for they are my guests and are under my
protection.”
9 “Stand back!” they shouted. “This fellow
19
• Comfort
G E NE S IS 1 9 :1 6
An affluent culture holds many attractions
that can lull us into a lifestyle that is
far too content and comfortable. We
often think of comfort in the context of
helping and encouraging others, but
here it can also mean freedom from pain
and trouble, a life of convenience. This
is not always a good thing, because it
deadens our sensitivity to the needs of
others and causes us to forget that all we
have comes from God. Lot had become
so comfortable living among ungodly
neighbors in the wealthy city of Sodom
that he had stopped being a credible
witness for God. When the angels told
him the city would be destroyed, Lot
still hesitated, not wanting to give up
his worldly pleasures. Don’t let yourself
become so comfortable that you lose
your passion to follow God.
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came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than
those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot
to break down the door.
10 But the two angels* reached out, pulled Lot
into the house, and bolted the door. 11 Then they
blinded all the men, young and old, who were
at the door of the house, so they gave up trying
to get inside.
12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do
you have any other relatives here in the city?”
they asked. “Get them out of this place—your
sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else.
13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great
it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to
destroy it.”
14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is
about to destroy it.” But the young men thought
he was only joking.
15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take
your wife and your two daughters who are here.
Get out right now, or you will be swept away in
the destruction of the city!”
16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized
his hand and the hands of his wife and two
daughters and rushed them to safety outside
the city, for the Lord was merciful. 17 When they
were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back
or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the
mountains, or you will be swept away!”
18 “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. 19 “You have
been so gracious to me and saved my life, and
you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch
up to me there, and I would soon die. 20 See,
there is a small village nearby. Please let me
go there instead; don’t you see how small it is?
Then my life will be saved.”
21 “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your
request. I will not destroy the little village. 22 But
hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until
you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little
place.”)
23 Lot reached the village just as the sun was
rising over the horizon. 24 Then the Lord rained
down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on
Sodom and Gomorrah. 25 He utterly destroyed
them, along with the other cities and villages of
the plain, wiping out all the people and every
bit of vegetation. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back as
she was following behind him, and she turned
into a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early that morning and
hurried out to the place where he had stood
19:10 Hebrew men; also in 19:12, 16.