The Visitation in Sodom: Corruption Exposed and Restraint Enacted

¹ Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,

² and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

³ But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

⁴ Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.

⁵ They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”

⁶ Lot went outside to meet them, shutting the door behind him.

⁷ “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!

⁸ Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

⁹ “Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.

¹⁰ But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

¹¹ And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.