Genesis 18; Genesis 19; Matthew 6:1-18

1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oak trees belonging to Mamre as he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day.

2 Abraham looked up, and suddenly he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them, and he bowed with his face touching the ground.

3 "Please, sir," Abraham said, "stop by to visit me for a while.

4 Why don't we let someone bring a little water? After you wash your feet, you can stretch out and rest under the tree.

5 Let me bring some bread so that you can regain your strength. After that you can leave, since this is why you stopped by to visit me." They answered, "That's fine. Do as you say."

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to find Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three measures of flour, knead it, and make bread."

7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and took one of his best calves. He gave it to his servant, who prepared it quickly.

8 Abraham took cheese and milk, as well as the meat, and set these in front of them. Then he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

9 They asked him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" He answered, "Over there, in the tent."

10 The LORD said, "I promise I'll come back to you next year at this time, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah happened to be listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him.

11 Abraham and Sarah were old. Sarah was past the age of childbearing.

12 And so Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "Now that I've become old, will I enjoy myself again? What's more, my husband is old!"

13 The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Can I really have a child now that I'm old?'

14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will come back to you next year at this time, and Sarah will have a son."

15 Because she was afraid, Sarah denied that she had laughed. But the LORD said, "Yes, you did laugh."

16 Then the men got up to leave. As Abraham was walking with them to see them off, they looked toward Sodom.

17 The LORD said, "I shouldn't hide what I am going to do from Abraham.

18 After all, Abraham is going to become a great and mighty nation and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

19 I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his family after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. In this way I, the LORD, will do what I have promised Abraham."

20 The LORD also said, "Sodom and Gomorrah have many complaints against them, and their sin is very serious.

21 I must go down and see whether these complaints are true. If not, I will know it."

22 From there the men turned and went on toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the LORD.

23 Abraham came closer and asked, "Are you really going to sweep away the innocent with the guilty?

24 What if there are 50 innocent people in the city? Are you really going to sweep them away? Won't you spare that place for the sake of the 50 innocent people who are in it?

25 It would be unthinkable for you to do such a thing, to treat the innocent and the guilty alike and to kill the innocent with the guilty. That would be unthinkable! Won't the judge of the whole earth do what is fair?"

26 The LORD said, "If I find 50 innocent people inside the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

27 Abraham asked, "Consider now, if I may be so bold as to ask you, although I'm [only] dust and ashes,

28 what if there are 45 innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of 5 fewer people?" The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it if I find 45 there."

29 Abraham asked him again, "What if 40 are found there?" He answered, "For the sake of the 40 I will not do it."

30 "Please don't be angry if I speak again," Abraham said. "What if 30 are found there?" He answered, "If I find 30 there, I will not do it."

31 "Look now, if I may be so bold as to ask you," Abraham said. "What if 20 are found there?" He answered, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20."

32 "Please don't be angry if I speak only one more time," Abraham said. "What if 10 are found there?" He answered, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the 10."

33 When the LORD finished speaking to Abraham, he left. Abraham returned home.

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed with his face touching the ground.

2 He said, "Please, gentlemen, why don't you come to my home and spend the night? [You can] wash your feet there. Then early tomorrow morning you can continue your journey." "No," they answered, "we'd rather spend the night in the city square."

3 But he insisted so strongly that they came with him and went into his home. He prepared a special dinner for them, baked some unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 Before they had gone to bed, all the young and old male citizens of Sodom surrounded the house.

5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to [stay with] you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

6 Then Lot went outside and shut the door behind him.

7 "Please, my friends, don't be so wicked," he said.

8 "Look, I have two daughters who have never had sex. Why don't you let me bring them out to you? Do whatever you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, since I'm responsible for them."

9 But the men yelled, "Get out of the way! This man came here to stay awhile. Now he wants to be our judge! We're going to treat you worse than those men." They pushed hard against Lot and lunged forward to break down the door.

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

11 Then they struck all the men who were in the doorway of the house, young and old alike, with blindness so that they gave up trying to find the door.

12 Then the men asked Lot, "Do you have anyone else here--any in-laws, sons, daughters, or any other relatives in the city? Get them out of here

13 because we're going to destroy this place. The complaints to the LORD against its people are so loud that the LORD has sent us to destroy it."

14 So Lot went out and spoke to the men engaged to his daughters. He said, "Hurry! Get out of this place, because the LORD is going to destroy the city." But they thought he was joking.

15 As soon as it was dawn, the angels urged Lot by saying, "Quick! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you'll be swept away when the city is punished."

16 When he hesitated, the men grabbed him, his wife, and his two daughters by their hands, because the LORD wanted to spare Lot. They brought them safely outside the city.

17 As soon as they were outside, one [of the angels] said, "Run for your lives! Don't look behind you, and don't stop on the plain. Run for the hills, or you'll be swept away!"

18 Lot answered, "Oh no!

19 Even though you've been so good to me and though you've been very kind to me by saving my life, I can't run as far as the hills. This disaster will overtake me, and I'll die.

20 Look, there's a city near enough to flee to, and it's small. Why don't you let me run there? Isn't it small? Then my life will be saved."

21 The angel said to him, "Alright, I will grant you this request too. I will not destroy the city you're talking about.

22 Run there quickly, because I can't do anything until you get there." (The city is named Zoar [Small].)

23 The sun had just risen over the land as Lot came to Zoar.

24 Then the LORD made burning sulfur and fire rain out of heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah.

25 He destroyed those cities, the whole plain, all who lived in the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

26 Lot's wife looked back and turned into a column of salt.

27 Early the next morning Abraham came to the place where he had stood in front of the LORD.

28 When he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land in the plain, he saw smoke rising from the land like the thick smoke of a furnace.

29 When God destroyed the cities on the plain, he remembered Abraham. Lot was allowed to escape from the destruction that came to the cities where he was living.

30 Lot left Zoar because he was afraid to stay there. He and his two daughters settled in the mountains where they lived in a cave.

31 The older daughter said to the younger one, "Our father is old. No men are here. We can't get married as other people do.

32 Let's give our father wine to drink. Then we'll go to bed with him so that we'll be able to preserve our family line through our father."

33 That night they gave their father wine to drink. Then the older one went to bed with her father. He didn't know when she came to bed or when she got up.

34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger one, "I did it! Last night I went to bed with my father. Let's give him wine to drink again tonight. Then you go to bed with him so that we'll be able to preserve our family line through our father."

35 That night they gave their father wine to drink again. Then the younger one went to bed with him. He didn't know when she came to bed or when she got up.

36 So Lot's two daughters became pregnant by their father.

37 The older one gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today.

38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben Ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

1 "Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.

2 So when you give to the poor, don't announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward.

3 When you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

4 Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

5 "When you pray, don't be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward.

6 When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

7 "When you pray, don't ramble like heathens who think they'll be heard if they talk a lot.

8 Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 "This is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, let your name be kept holy.

10 Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

11 Give us our daily bread today.

12 Forgive us as we forgive others.

13 Don't allow us to be tempted. Instead, rescue us from the evil one.

14 "If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures.

16 "When you fast, stop looking sad like hypocrites. They put on sad faces to make it obvious that they're fasting. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward.

17 When you fast, wash your face and comb your hair.

18 Then your fasting won't be obvious. Instead, it will be obvious to your Father who is with you in private. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.