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16 Then (A)the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 (B)The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham (C)what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and [a]mighty nation, and in him (D)all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have [b](E)chosen him, so that he may (F)command his children and his household after him to (G)keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham (H)what He has spoken about him.” 20 And the Lord said, “(I)The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will (J)go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then (K)the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before (L)the Lord. 23 Abraham came near and said, “(M)Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not [c]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do [d]such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not (N)the Judge of all the earth [e]deal justly?” 26 So the Lord said, “(O)If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will [f]spare the whole place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have [g]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but (P)dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Now behold, I have [h]ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “(Q)Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham (R)the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
The Doom of Sodom
19 Now the (S)two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When (T)Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and [i]bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; (U)and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, (V)the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people [j]from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “(W)Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may [k]have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 Now behold, (X)I have two daughters who have not [l]had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them [m]whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the [n]shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in [o]as an alien, and already (Y)he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against [p]Lot and came near to break the door. 10 But (Z)the men reached out their [q]hands and brought Lot into the house [r]with them, and shut the door. 11 (AA)They [s]struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.
12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because (AB)their outcry has become so great before the Lord that (AC)the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who [t]were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, (AD)get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” (AE)But he appeared to his sons-in-law [u]to be jesting.
15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the [v]punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men (AF)seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the [w]hands of his two daughters, for (AG)the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17 When they had brought them outside, [x]one said, “(AH)Escape for your life! (AI)Do not look behind you, and do not stay [y]anywhere in the (AJ)valley; escape to (AK)the [z]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 lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the [aa]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?) [ab]that my life may be saved.” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this [ac]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 name of the town was called [ad](AL)Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the Lord (AM)rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and (AN)He overthrew those cities, and all the [ae]valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife, from behind him, (AO)looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to (AP)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 [af]valley, and he saw, and behold, (AQ)the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a [ag]furnace.
29 Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the [ah]valley, that (AR)God remembered Abraham, and (AS)sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
Lot Is Debased
30 Lot went up from Zoar, and [ai](AT)stayed in the [aj]mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to [ak]stay in Zoar; and he [al]stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man [am]on earth to (AU)come in to us after the manner of the earth. 32 Come, (AV)let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve [an]our family through our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34 On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve [ao]our family through our father.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son, and called his name (AW)Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the [ap]sons of (AX)Ammon to this day.
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “(A)For this reason I say to you, [a]do not be (B)worried about your [b]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (C)Look at the birds of the [c]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being (D)worried can (E)add a single [d]hour to his [e]life? 28 And why are you (F)worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even (G)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (H)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (I)You of little faith! 31 Do not (J)worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for (K)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [f]seek first [g]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (L)all these things will be [h]added to you.
34 “So do not (M)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [i]care for itself. [j]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Judging Others
7 “(N)Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and [k](O)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you (P)look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 (Q)Or how [l]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 “(R)Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Prayer and the Golden Rule
7 “[m](S)Ask, and (T)it will be given to you; [n]seek, and you will find; [o]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you [p]who, when his son asks for a loaf, [q]will give him a stone? 10 Or [r]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, (U)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12 “In everything, (V)therefore, [s]treat people the same way you want [t]them to treat you, for (W)this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “(X)Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.
For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have [a](A)displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 (B)From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established [b](C)strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make (D)the enemy and the revengeful cease.
3 When I [c](E)consider (F)Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The (G)moon and the stars, which You have [d]ordained;
4 (H)What is man that You [e]take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a (I)little lower than [f]God,
And (J)You crown him with (K)glory and majesty!
6 You make him to (L)rule over the works of Your hands;
You have (M)put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the [g]beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
9 (N)O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
6 For (A)the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a (B)shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He (C)preserves the way of His godly ones.
9 Then you will discern (D)righteousness and justice
And equity and every (E)good course.
10 For (F)wisdom will enter your heart
And (G)knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 Discretion will (H)guard you,
Understanding will watch over you,
12 To (I)deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks (J)perverse things;
13 From those who (K)leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the (L)ways of darkness;
14 Who (M)delight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are (N)crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.