Why did a pious man like Lot behave so badly? Why do the wise men justify the act of the daughters of Lot? Lot mythology

The Bible is a book in which spiritual Knowledge is concentrated .... for those who want to achieve it ..
If a person reads it only as a collection of Bible stories, without the love of God... without the "fear of God",
without understanding his limitations and depravity, THEN he will perceive a lot of things biased, according to his narrow understanding of everything he comes into contact with ...

People are used to judging everything “by themselves”… and by the way it is “accepted” in society….
For example, someone watching another talk show with a famous seventy-year-old actress, who appeared in a short dress and bare breasts, flaunting her young lover and talking about how many of them she had ..., someone will sincerely rejoice for her, rewarding glory to her, the glory of her naked body and "unfading" sex appeal ... daring to take an example from her in referring to plastic surgeons and all kinds of fashionable and socially accepted drive for body and soul ...

People perceive today's depraved behavior of their idols as the norm... as a principle of life... as something taken for granted....
It gets to the point that the wives of idols tell the multimillion-dollar TV audience how and with whom their husband cheats on them, and with whom they .... and even on the program there are lovers, supposedly former ones, who crumble in love for their girlfriends and boyfriends ...
But if the same person, who just applauded his rampant idols, reads in the Bible the story about Lot and his daughters ...., there will be no end to the limit of indignation and contempt! ........
And what will particularly anger this critic is that Lot was a righteous man…………

Lot is the nephew of Abraham, who followed his uncle away from the pagans to new lands, to where the Voice of God led Abraham…… Lot believed in the One God just like Abraham and therefore stood on the righteous path……..
It is extremely difficult for us to imagine the then life of these people ... these were completely different conditions and customs of life ... other difficulties and problems ....

It was hardest of all for those who knew and believed in the One God, lived in worship and obedience only to Him, and not to idols and gods .... Abraham and his family were surrounded by tribes and peoples pagan, barbaric, cruel and militant .... But they were not with anyone did not fight, lived peacefully, grazed their flocks….
One day, Abraham suggested to Lot that they secede due to the growth of the economy ... there was not enough pasture land for livestock ... times of famine were approaching ... Abraham suggested that Lot choose the land for himself:
Genesis ch 13:
“10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was watered all the way to Segor, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt;
11 And Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. And they separated from each other.
12 Abram began to live in the land of Canaan; and Lot began to dwell in the cities of the region and pitched his tents as far as Sodom.

Yes, it must be said that Lot chose a better land ... probably believing that he is younger than Abraham and he still has to increase his family ... and Abraham had “no children planned” ....
Often people also try to choose something better for themselves, hoping that it will bring them happiness.
For example, someone chooses the best educational institution in another country….but then gets into some kind of unkind alteration…company…and loses everything……..
Someone chooses the best clinic for the operation, hoping that they will definitely help, but as a result, they do an unsuccessful operation (for example, plastic), and they suffer damage ...
But a man bought the best car model ... and .. crashed on it ....
The girl put on her best dress to be the most charming ... and tore it, unsuccessfully falling right in front of everyone ...
The family went to the best and most prestigious resort ... and crashed on a plane ...

Behind all this there is a spiritual reason - the desire to be the first ... "worldly pride" ...
By the example of Lot, God wanted to show people that NOT “all that glitters is gold”…….
Behind the beautiful bait that kindles the eyes of pride and complacency is something pernicious ... Why? “There are spiritual laws….
(Bible. Proverbs 16:18): “Pride goes before destruction, and arrogance before a fall”

(Gospel of Matthew 16:26): “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

“Having food and clothing, we will be satisfied with that. And those who want to get rich fall into temptation and into a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which plunge people into disaster and destruction; For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, having given way, some have erred from the faith, and subjected themselves to many tribulations” (1 Tim. 6:8-10).

Proverbs 28:20 "A faithful man is rich in blessings, but whoever is in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished."

Proverbs 11:28 “He who trusts in his riches will fall; but the righteous will turn green like a leaf.”

Psalm 36:16-17 "The little of a righteous man is better than the riches of many wicked ones, for the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord strengthens the righteous."

Lot was righteous in his faith, yet, like many of the believers, he was insufficiently “circumcised” in his heart… God worked on his character, admonishing and instructing through mistakes, like many of those who are learning to walk before God…
Lot is also called righteous because he did NOT participate in the abominations of Sodom, which he soon had to learn about ... because this people from idleness, satiety and wealth became corrupted to the extreme .... drinking wine to insensibility, doing indecent deeds, doing all kinds of sexual perversions and pleasures….

The Lord, seeing how irreversibly and low this pagan people fell, mocking at everything holy and pure, not believing in God and the Creator, but satisfying their lusts before their idols ... repaid them according to their abominations in order to rid the earth of the center of demonic corruption and set an example other wicked that the judgment is coming!...

The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone!
But before that, the Angels came to Lot in order to lead him and his family out of this den ...
(Bible. 2 Peter 2: 7-8): “and the righteous Lot, weary of the treatment between violently depraved people, he delivered (for this righteous man, living among them, daily tormented in a righteous soul, seeing and hearing lawless deeds)” ....
Lot was tormented among the lawless, but continued to live there ... he was held by attachment to the material ...
His righteousness was not like the righteousness of Moses, who “would rather suffer with the people of God than have temporary sinful pleasure, and considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth for himself than Egyptian treasures; for he looked to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26

Lot is not called in the Bible a hero of faith, or an excellent righteous man... His example is given to us for the edification of God, as an example of the fact that attachment to material wealth always has a detrimental effect on life and faith, creating indecision, languor, doubt and lack of freedom in the character....

It can be said that Lot was a righteous man on the verge of falling… If he had hesitated… if God had not helped him get out of Sodom… he would have perished along with everyone….
His example is an example for those who, having come to God, try to serve two masters: God and Maomon…..But Christ said: “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24-25) --- Sooner or later, those who continue to be friends with the world without giving their lives to the Lord will suffer damage and become corrupted…fall down…perish….

And to make sure that Lot was approaching the fall, it is enough to know that his wife was already tightly tied in soul to Sodom, for she did not want to leave this evil, wicked place ... --- and although the angels warned that “leaving, go away…and don’t look back…”, she looked back…and turned into a pillar of salt…Lot lost her forever….
Lot's daughters also, apparently, "acquired" the "wisdom" of Sodom .... because they decided to commit a sin and sleep with their father for the sake of procreation .... There is such a version - they were NOT Lot's native daughters, because Lot's wife "walked" and gave birth from others… Lot knew this, but hid it… and suffered…
I cannot confirm or deny this version, because it may be true, since Lot's wife did not want to leave Sodom ... ..

Nevertheless, let's see what happened to Lot and his daughters ... in what state of mind was he ... well-being? ... --- It is clear that all recent events shocked him .... he lost a lot of "acquired", leaving Sodom right on the eve of the volcanic eruption...
Then his wife died .... He was left "with nothing" ....

I conclude my story with a long excerpt from an article by Alexander Dmukh: - “Standing up for the righteous. Lot"

Gen. 19: At first, Lot was afraid to flee to the mountains (verse 19), and went instead to Segor (verse 22).
“Then he “went out of Segor and began to live in a mountain, and with him his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Segor. And he dwelt in a cave, and with him his two daughters. (verse 30)
So, what... Lot left the city of Sigor, believing that "Hiroshima" would be followed by "Nagasaki". He fears that the wrath of God may soon fall upon this city as well. His fears were not unfounded.
His two daughters also knew about it. Here are the reasonings of his daughters: “And the older one said to the younger one: Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come in to us according to the custom of all the earth.” (Gen. 19:31)
The adult daughters of Lot sincerely thought that there were no men left on earth except their father. They care about the continuation of the human race. You say: "But God did not burn the whole earth, but only a few cities." And how could they know that! Add here the scale of the catastrophe... They are frightened... They had a memory of the flood in the days of Noah, when Noah and his family remained... And here the situation is similar.... Only the flood is fiery.

Daughters are in a hurry: "Our father is old." They have the idea of ​​procreation. From whom? ..... Of all the men, in their opinion, only their father remained .... Therefore, they decide on a well-known act, having previously given their father a good drink of wine. For what? Because when sober, Lot obviously would not have done this ... You ask: “why did he drink wine?” --- you can guess - his dejected state of mind at that time .. the loss of his wife, a rich house ... the usual way of life, etc. ... led him to a loss of soundness of judgment and sobriety of spirit ... he was depressed ... and daughters (and, perhaps, not relatives) tried to “comfort” him with wine so that he would “forget” ....

But this sin had far-reaching consequences --- From the daughters of Lot, Moab and Ben-Ammi were born, from whom came the Moabites and Ammonites - the constant enemies of Israel. The name Moab is consonant (in Hebrew) with the phrase: "from the father", and Ben-Ammi means "son of a blood relative." This etymology kept Israel from forgetting the shameful origins of their enemies.

Four main motives sound in the 19th chapter of Genesis: the speedy judgment of God over the wicked Canaanites; Lot's attachment to material things; God's merciful deliverance from perdition, and the "rebirth of Sodom" in the cave……
This concludes the story of Lot in Genesis. And then his name reminds us and not only us of Jesus Christ Himself. When Jesus was asked: “What is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?” He, among other things, recalls two events from ancient times. Jesus recalls events that everyone knew about. These events are the flood in the days of Noah and the burning of Sodom in the days of Lot.

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man:
they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all; so it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears” (Luke 17:26-31).
As in the first and in the second case, the same picture is observed. On the one hand, the death of sinners, on the other, the salvation of the righteous. For some, anger, for others, mercy. One is death, the other is life. The only difference is that in the first case, God uses water for punishment, and in the second, fire.

Jesus, in the examples he gives, equates the status of Noah and Lot. Lot finds himself on the same saving side next to the righteous Noah. These two pious men are teachers to the whole world. Just as God gave life to Noah and Lot, so God will give salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. Just as God punished sinners in water and fire, so all those who do not believe in the Gospel will reap death.
In conclusion, I will give one advice to those who have decided to criticize the sins of biblical heroes...-- If you decide to expose someone's sin, and you need a living example from the Bible. In this case, there are enough characters from the “black list” in Scripture. Criticize Cain, rebuke Eli and his sons, wash Saul's bones. There are enough defendants in Scripture who have shown with their lives that it is impossible to live like this.

Do not touch the people whom Scripture calls the righteous. Can't you see the difference between them. She is colossal!
And if the righteous committed a sin, for example, like David, then the Scripture directly and frankly evaluates such an act as a crime. God has no partiality. Holy Scripture is an honest book. If some act of the saint does not seem plausible to you, then do not rush to conclusions.
If Scripture doesn't directly and unequivocally condemn, don't condemn either. Don't be drunk with emotion.
Read serious books about the culture and customs of the time. …Learn from God. See how the Judge of all the earth reasons, giving us a lesson: “I will go down and see if they do exactly as the cry against them, which ascends to Me, or not; I will know” (Gen. 18:21)
In jurisprudence, there is such a thing as the “presumption of innocence”. ("Presumed" - that is, assumed.) Everyone accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in court. Irremovable doubts about the guilt of a person are interpreted in favor of the accused.

Do not rush to blame the righteous if their actions are not yet clear to you. If Scripture (God) does not clearly and unequivocally condemn any act that at first glance seems not good to you, then do not condemn either. God is the judge or you?!
Otherwise, we become smarter than God…”

Question: "Why such a pious person as Lot drank for more than one day, so much so that he managed to sleep with his own daughters? After all, in essence of the whole scripture, such a man, already strengthened in faith, could not afford such a thing!"

The story of Lot contains many lessons, but in connection with your question, we will focus on only two.

One of these lessons is that the righteous shall live by faith, and not by the works of his righteousness. The righteous is not the one who does everything absolutely right, but the one who believes in God and walks with God according to the extent of the light revealed to him. God saves a person not for the deeds of righteousness that he does for the glory of God, but for FAITH in His word.

Among the corrupted inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was the only person who still somehow remembered the True God, and therefore his actions, which became a continuation of his faith, turned out to be correct.

Lot was the only person in the city who called strangers to his house, thereby calling salvation to his house.

Lot was the only one of all his relatives who believed the Word of God and therefore was saved.

See? Lot was saved not because he was absolutely righteous, but because he believed the Word of God, which in his case sounded like this: "Who else do you have here? son-in-law, whether your sons, whether your daughters, and whoever you have in the city, bring everyone out of this place, for we will destroy this place, because the cry is great against its inhabitants to the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it. (). It was not for righteousness that Lot was led out of the city destined for destruction, but because of his faith in the Word of God.

It is precisely because of his faith that Scripture calls Lot a righteous man. By the way, pay attention to the fact that after the Scripture called Abraham righteous, he fell several times, re-read the story of David, and you will definitely see that this righteous man of God also fell more than once, and not only them ... Of course, it does not mean that God approved of their falls, their unrighteous thoughts and wrong behavior, God will never approve of sin. However, God loves a person and, knowing his weak, nasty nature, saves a person not because of his (her) righteousness, but simply because a person believes His word and desires the fulfillment of His word in his life.

Another lesson we see in Lot's story is that we should not be deceived: bad communities indeed corrupt good morals (). When Lot separated from Abram to live in a fertile and beautiful land, he did not pay much attention to the fact that the people among whom he would have to live were very, very inclined to evil.

“Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that it ... all the way to Sigor was watered with water, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt; and Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. ... Lot began to live in the cities of the surrounding area and pitched his tents to Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord» ().

Being a man who knew the True God through his uncle Abram, Lot still decided that he could keep this knowledge alive by living in the midst of impurity and depravity. However, he was mistaken, and although in his God-believing soul, he was constantly tormented by what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah, he managed to cling to the outward comfort of that life with his heart so much that he managed to cling to many sins of this “comfort”. Lot just wasn't "strong in faith" as you say about him. He was a man losing his faith... and had it not been for the strangers who literally took him by the hand () and brought their cities out, Lot would have perished just like the rest of the inhabitants of those cities. Out of His mercy, the Lord came with punishment to the foundations of corrupt cities before the last rays of Lot's faith (righteousness) were swallowed up by the darkness of worldly comfort. Had the Lord lingered for a while, and Lot would have completely assimilated into the environment to which he clung ... and there would be no one to save. This is why the warning to end-time believers sounds so serious:

“Do not bow under the yoke of others with the unbelievers, for what fellowship is there between righteousness and iniquity? What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what is the partnership of the faithful with the unbelievers? What is the compatibility of the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell in them and walk [in them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And that's why come out from among them and separate yourself, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean; and I will receive you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty "().

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: come out from her, my people, so that you do not share in her sins and suffer from her plagues; for her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Yes, the minds of Lot and his daughters were perverted. Coming out of the physical destruction that befell Sodom and Gomorrah, they came out with a nasty legacy that didn't fail to manifest itself. Lot could not deny himself the joy of alcohol intoxication, and his daughters could not deny themselves the desire to be mothers at all costs. Life in the midst of debauchery and lawlessness never contributes to the growth of righteousness.

Sad story? Yes. It is also sad that the children born of this unnatural union became the fathers of peoples who constantly resisted God and His saving will. The Bible is worthy of trust because it does not hide from us the truth about what we all really are, about how terribly greedy our nature is for evil, how easily it clings to it, and how difficult it is for a person who believes in the One True God, unstick from evil and begin to walk in the ways of good. Therefore, let's study the lessons from the life of our forefathers so as not to repeat them in our lives.

Sincerely,
Sasha.

When Lot settled in Sodom, he intended to decisively protect himself from iniquity and command this to his house after him. But he was gravely mistaken. The perverse environment had a detrimental effect on his own faith, and the association of his children with the inhabitants of Sodom led to the emergence of common interests. We know the consequences of all this.

Many people still make the same mistake. When choosing a place of residence, they take into account temporary advantages rather than the moral and social atmosphere in which they will have to live. They choose a beautiful fertile place, or go to some prosperous city in the hope of getting rich; but temptations surround their children, who, as often happens, make such acquaintances, which are most unfavorably reflected in the development of religious feelings and the formation of character.

The atmosphere of unbridled immorality of disbelief, indifference to religious issues nullifies the influence of parents. Before the eyes of youth there is always an example of rebellion against parental and divine authority. Many enter into intimate relations with the wicked, and consequently cast their lot in the hands of the enemies of God.

God wants us to consider first of all the moral and religious influence that our family will experience in choosing where to live. We may be in a critical situation, for many cannot have the environment we would like, but if duty calls us, God will help us to remain spotless, if only we will watch and pray, relying on the grace of Christ. But unnecessarily we must not expose ourselves to such influences as may adversely affect the development of our Christian character.

If we are voluntarily in the company of the godless, then we grieve God and drive the holy angels out of our homes. Those who provide their children with earthly wealth and worldly honor at the cost of eternal interests will later realize that these gains have turned out to be a terrible loss. Like Lot, many will see their children lost and themselves barely saved. Their life's work is lost, their life is a sad failure. If they had acted truly prudently, then although their children would have had less earthly goods, there would have been confidence in an immortal inheritance.

The inheritance promised by God to His people does not exist on this earth. Abraham had no wealth in this world: "And he did not give him an inheritance on her, not even a foot" (). He possessed a huge fortune, but he used it for the glory of God and for the benefit of his compatriots. But he did not consider this land his homeland. ( , chapter 14)

Read more on the topic "Interpretation of Scripture":

One choice, two completely different stories. The uncle shows humility towards his nephew - an unheard-of behavior for the harsh Old Testament times. Abraham, in order to avoid disagreements, cedes the best lands to Lot. The name of one of the cities where Lot pitched his tents is Sodom. It became a household name. Sodom was a flourishing and rich city. Its inhabitants did not need anything. Abraham went in the opposite direction from Sodom. And became great through the ages. How does this story repeat itself over and over again today? What does a carefree life, spiritual deafness and the desire to get everything from life lead to? Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev discusses the relevance and topicality of the Old Testament episode from the Book of Genesis.

“And Lot, who walked with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land was not large enough for them to live together, for their property was so great that they could not live together. And there was a dispute between the shepherds of Abram's cattle and between the shepherds of Lot's cattle; and the Canaanites and Perizzites dwelt then in that land. And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we are kindred; Is not the whole earth before you? separate yourself from me: if you are to the left, then I am to the right; and if you are to the right, then I am to the left.

Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was watered all the way to Sigor, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt; and Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. And they separated from each other.

Abram began to live in the land of Canaan; and Lot began to live in the cities of the region and pitched his tents as far as Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord.

(Gen. 13:5–13)

It is said that the land was not large enough for the people of Abraham and for the people of Lot. There were a lot of them. Abraham's household and Lot's household. Abraham's servants and Lot's servants. Evidence that God blessed not only the house of Abraham, but also the house of Lot, which was then in unity with the house of Abraham. And later, after Lot had separated from Abraham, Lot's economy was impoverished, and he leaves Sodom and Gomorrah with only a small family - with him his wife and two daughters, and no one else.

When Lot chose for himself the land in which he would live, Abraham gave him the right to decide where to go, saying: “Choose which one is for you. You go right, I go left. You go left, I go right." Now, Lot chose with carnal eyes. He saw the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, as the Bible says, for him it was like the garden of the Lord. Like heaven! That is how he valued these lands. But soon, after a while, paradise turned into hell. This is happening now.

Many of my friends left for America, some for Western Europe. In the first letters they wrote: we live in paradise, we have everything. But after a while, heaven turned into hell. And in the letters there was a cry: “What to do? Everything here is on credit. And if I don't pay it on time, everything will be taken away from me. Even the water from the pool is pumped out and taken away. The lawn will be rolled up and taken away…” And even: “They can take my children away from me.”

Paradise turns out to be hell - if we evaluate what is heaven and what is hell, based on purely carnal criteria

Very often, heaven turns out to be hell - if we evaluate what hell is and what hell is, based on purely carnal criteria, worldly understanding. And a person should be careful in his assessments of the surrounding reality and reality. Especially in our time. Because what we seems good and favorable, maybe not so in reality. Maybe behind a bright facade to hide the black essence.

Yes, Lot and his family did not learn the "habits" of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, did not perform their "feats". And they were saved, leaving Sodom. But were they saved? And did they really leave Sodom?

Sodom already lived in their hearts. turned around to gloat that the city was dying, but she was alive. For this, God punished her: she also died. And Lot did not escape the fate of Sodom, as he thought. Because it was Sodom who pushed his daughters so that, having drunk their father with wine, debauchery with him, committed the sin of incest.

Staying in Sodom will not be without consequences

Staying in Sodom will not be without consequences. You can’t just leave it and then live, believing that everything is in order. So you think that - to Europe, to America, you will earn money there, you will return to Russia and live happily ever after. Not! This will not happen without losses. There will definitely be some losses, difficulties - and first of all, these difficulties will hit our children. And sometimes it hurts a lot. In one family I know, who lived in America for a long time, then they simply suffered with a child. He spoke Russian with an accent, all his vital interests changed. They took the child to the old man. And the elder said: this child should be sent for reprimand!

Let's remember the Bible lessons.

Two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gates of the city. Seeing them, he stood up to meet them and bowed to the ground.

“My lords,” he said, “please go to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night, and continue on your way in the early morning.

- No, - they answered, - we will spend the night in the square.

But he insisted so much that they followed him and entered the house. He prepared food for them, baked unleavened bread, and they ate.But before they lay down, all the men of Sodom, young and old, surrounded the house.They called out to Lot:

- Where are the people who came to you in the evening? Bring them out to us, we want to have fun with them.

Lot went out to them and locked the door behind him. He said:

“No, my friends, do not do such evil.Look, I have two daughters who have never been with a man before. Let me bring them to you, and do with them what you want. But do nothing to these people who have come under the protection of my shelter.

They said:

- Get out of my way!

And they said:

“This man came here as a stranger, and now he wants to be our judge!” We'll do worse to you than to them.

They began to push back Lot and came up to break down the door.But the men who remained inside stretched out their hands, dragged Lot into the house, and locked the door.And those who were at the door of the house, both young and old, they struck with blindness, so that they could not find the door.

And the guests said to Lot:

“Who else do you have here—sons-in-law, sons, daughters, anyone else in the city?” Get them out of herebecause we're going to destroy this place. The cry to the Lord against this people is so great that He sent us to destroy them.

Lot went out and said to his future sons-in-law, the suitors of his daughters:

- Hurry, get out of here! The Lord is going to destroy the city!

But they thought he was joking.

When dawn broke, the angels hurried Lot, saying:

– Hurry up! Get your wife and two daughters out of here, or you will perish when the punishment falls on the city.

He hesitated, but those two took him by the hand, and his wife, and two daughters, because the Lord was merciful to them, and led them out of the city.Already outside the city, one of them said:

- Get out of here! Don't look back and don't stop anywhere in the valley! Run to the mountains, otherwise you will die!

But Lot said to them:

– No, Vladyka! Your servant found favor in Your eyes, and You showed me great mercy by saving my life. But I cannot reach the mountains: disaster will overtake me, and I will perish.That town over there is not far, I can run there, and it is not big. Let me run there - it's quite small, isn't it? and my life will be saved.

He replied:

- Well, I will fulfill this request too: I will not destroy the city you are talking about.Run there quickly, because there's nothing I can do until you get to it. (That is why that city was called Zoar).

The sun had already risen when Lot reached Zoar.Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning brimstone from heaven from the Lord.He destroyed the cities and the whole valley, and all who lived in the cities, and everything that grew on the earth.And Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.

The next morning, Abraham got up early and returned to the place where he stood before the Lord.He looked at Sodom and Gomorrah, and over the whole valley, and saw thick smoke rising from the ground like smoke from a furnace.

So when God destroyed the cities of the valley, He remembered Abraham and saved Lot from the disaster that destroyed the cities where Lot lived.

Lot and his daughters

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, as he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He lived in a cave with his two daughters.The eldest daughter said to the youngest:

“Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere to lie down with us, according to the custom of all the earth.Let's make our father drink wine and lie down with him in order to save our family through our father.

That night they made their father drunk with wine, and the eldest daughter went in and lay down with him. He did not know when she lay down and when she got up.The next day the eldest daughter said to the youngest:

“Last night I went to bed with my father. Let's get him drunk again tonight, and you'll come in and lie with him so that we can save our line through our father.

They made their father drink wine that night too, and the youngest daughter went in and lay down with him. He did not know when she lay down and when she got up.

So both daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.The eldest daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab; he is the father of the present Moabites.The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites today.

a) 19:5: Lit.: "that we may know them"

b) 19:18: Or: "my lords."

c) 19:19: Or: "your...your...you revealed."

d) 19:21-22: Or: "I ... I ... I."

e) 19:22: The sound of this name resembles the Hebrew word for "small".

f) 19:37: The sound of this name is reminiscent of the Hebrew words "from the father."

g) 19:38: In Hebrew, this name means "son of my people" and resembles the sound of the word "Ammonite".