Wrath Against Them For Their Sins.
1. About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches
and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards
God, insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they
received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with
Sodomitical practices. God was therefore much displeased at them, and
determined to punish them for their pride, and to overthrow their city,
and to lay waste their country, until there should neither plant nor
fruit grow out of it.
2. When God had thus resolved concerning the Sodomites, Abraham, as he
sat by the oak of Mambre, at the door of his tent, saw three angels; and
thinking them to be strangers, he rose up, and saluted them, and desired
they would accept of an entertainment, and abide with him; to which,
when they agreed, he ordered cakes of meal to be made presently; and
when he had slain a calf, he roasted it, and brought it to them, as they
sat under the oak. Now they made a show of eating; and besides, they
asked him about his wife Sarah, where she was; and when he said she was
within, they said they would come again hereafter, and find her become a
mother. Upon which the woman laughed, and said that it was impossible
she should bear children, since she was ninety years of age, and her
husband was a hundred. Then they concealed themselves no longer, but
declared that they were angels of God; and that one of them was sent to
inform them about the child, and two of the overthrow of Sodom.
3. When Abraham heard this, he was grieved for the Sodomites; and he
rose up, and besought God for them, and entreated him that he would not
destroy the righteous with the wicked. And when God had replied that
there was no good man among the Sodomites; for if there were but ten
such man among them, he would not punish any of them for their sins,
Abraham held his peace. And the angels came to the city of the
Sodomites, and Lot entreated them to accept of a lodging with him; for
he was a very generous and hospitable man, and one that had learned to
imitate the goodness of Abraham. Now when the Sodomites saw the young
men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an extraordinary
degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they resolved
themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence; and when
Lot exhorted them to sobriety, and not to offer any thing immodest to
the strangers, but to have regard to their lodging in his house; and
promised that if their inclinations could not be governed, he would
expose his daughters to their lust, instead of these strangers; neither
thus were they made ashamed.
4. But God was much displeased at their impudent behavior, so that he
both smote those men with blindness, and condemned the Sodomites to
universal destruction. But Lot, upon God's informing him of the future
destruction of the Sodomites, went away, taking with him his wife and
daughters, who were two, and still virgins; for those that were
betrothed 21 to them were above the thoughts of going, and deemed that
Lot's words were trifling. God then cast a thunderbolt upon the city,
and set it on fire, with its inhabitants; and laid waste the country
with the like burning, as I formerly said when I wrote the Jewish War.
22 But Lot's wife continually turning back to view the city as she went
from it, and being too nicely inquisitive what would become of it,
although God had forbidden her so to do, was changed into a pillar of
salt;23 for I have seen it, and it remains at this day. Now he and his
daughters fled to a certain small place, encompassed with the fire, and
settled in it: it is to this day called Zoar, for that is the word which
the Hebrews use for a small thing. There it was that he lived a
miserable life, on account of his having no company, and his want of
provisions.
5. But his daughters, thinking that all mankind were destroyed,
approached to their father, 24 though taking care not to be perceived.
This they did, that human kind might not utterly fail: and they bare
sons; the son of the elder was named Moab, Which denotes one derived
from his father; the younger bare Ammon, which name denotes one derived
from a kinsman. The former of whom was the father of the Moabites, which
is even still a great nation; the latter was the father of the
Ammonites; and both of them are inhabitants of Celesyria. And such was
the departure of Lot from among the Sodomites.