NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 32
J A N U A R Y
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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.”
3But 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. 4But 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!”
6So 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. 8Look, 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 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.
10But the two angels* reached out,
pulled Lot into the house, and bolted
the door. 11Then they blinded all the
men, young and old, who were at the
door of the house, so they gave up trying
to get inside.
12Meanwhile, 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. 13For
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.”
14So 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.
15At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said
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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!”
16When 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. 20See,
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. 22But 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.”)
23Lot reached the village just as the
sun was rising over the horizon. 24Then
the Lord rained down fire and burning
sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. 25He 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.
27Abraham got up early that morning
and hurried out to the place where he
had stood in the Lord’s presence. 28He
looked out across the plain toward
Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as
columns of smoke rose from the cities
like smoke from a furnace.
29 But God had listened to Abraham’s
request and kept Lot safe, removing him
from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.
