17 When they had brought them outside, [a]one said, “(A)Escape for your life! (B)Do not look behind you, and do not stay [b]anywhere in the (C)surrounding area; escape to (D)the [c]mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18 But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19 Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your compassion, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the [d]mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) [e]so that my life may be saved.” 21 And he said to him, “Behold, I grant you this [f]request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the town was named [g](E)Zoar.

23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the Lord (F)rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and (G)He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But [h]Lot’s wife, from behind him, (H)looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 Now Abraham got up early in the morning and went to (I)the place where he had stood before the Lord; 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the surrounding area; and [i]behold, he saw (J)the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a [j]furnace.

29 So it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the surrounding area, that (K)God remembered Abraham, and (L)sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 19:17 Lit he
  2. Genesis 19:17 Lit in all the circle
  3. Genesis 19:17 Lit mountain
  4. Genesis 19:19 Lit mountain
  5. Genesis 19:20 Lit and my soul will live
  6. Genesis 19:21 Lit thing
  7. Genesis 19:22 I.e., small
  8. Genesis 19:26 Lit his
  9. Genesis 19:28 Lit he saw, and behold
  10. Genesis 19:28 Lit kiln

17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives!(A) Don’t look back,(B) and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!(C) Flee to the mountains(D) or you will be swept away!”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,[a] please! 19 Your[b] servant has found favor in your[c] eyes,(E) and you[d] have shown great kindness(F) to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains;(G) this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request(H) too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.[e](I))

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar,(J) the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur(K) on Sodom and Gomorrah(L)—from the Lord out of the heavens.(M) 25 Thus he overthrew those cities(N) and the entire plain,(O) destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.(P) 26 But Lot’s wife looked back,(Q) and she became a pillar of salt.(R)

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.(S) 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.(T)

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain,(U) he remembered(V) Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe(W) that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.(X)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 19:18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord
  2. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  3. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  4. Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
  5. Genesis 19:22 Zoar means small.

and the [a]Negev and the territory in the Valley of Jericho, (A)the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 34:3 I.e., South country

the Negev(A) and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms,(B) as far as Zoar.(C)

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