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

1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the large trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent. It was the hottest time of the day.

2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly left the entrance to his tent to meet them. He bowed low to the ground.

3 He said, "My lord, if you are pleased with me, don't pass me by.

4 Let a little water be brought. All of you can wash your feet and rest under this tree.

5 "Let me get you something to eat to give you strength. Then you can go on your way. I want to do this for you now that you have come to me." "All right," they answered. "Go ahead and do it."

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick!" he said. "Get about half a bushel of fine flour. Mix it and bake some bread."

7 Then he ran to the herd. He picked out a choice, tender calf. He gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.

8 Then he brought some butter and milk and the calf that had been prepared. He served them to the three men. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "Over there, in the tent," he said.

10 Then the LORD said, "You can be sure that I will return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind him.

11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old. Sarah was too old to have a baby.

12 So she laughed to herself. She thought, "I'm worn out, and my husband is old. Can I really know the joy of having a baby?"

13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Will I really have a baby, now that I am old?'

14 Is anything too hard for me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year. Sarah will have a son."

15 Sarah was afraid. So she lied and said, "I didn't laugh." But the LORD said, "Yes, you did."

16 The men got up to leave. They looked down toward Sodom. Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.

17 Then the LORD said, "Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

18 He will certainly become a great and powerful nation. All nations on earth will be blessed because of him.

19 "I have chosen him. He must direct his children. He must see that the members of his family after him live the way I want them to. So he must direct them to do what is right and fair. Then I, the Lord, will do for Abraham what I have promised him."

20 The LORD said, "The cries against Sodom and Gomorrah are very great. Their sin is so bad

21 that I will go down and see for myself. I want to see if what they have done is as bad as the cries that have reached me. If it is not, then I will know."

22 The men turned away. They went toward Sodom. But Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord.

23 Then Abraham came up to him. He said, "Will you sweep away godly people along with those who are evil?

24 What if there are 50 godly people in the city? Will you really sweep it away? Won't you spare the place because of the 50 godly people in it?

25 "You would never kill godly people along with those who are evil, would you? You wouldn't treat godly and evil people alike. You would never do anything like that! Won't the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?"

26 The LORD said, "If I find 50 godly people in the city of Sodom, I will save it. I will spare the whole place because of them."

27 Then Abraham spoke up again. He said, "I have been very bold to speak to the Lord. After all, I'm only dust and ashes.

28 What if the number of godly people is five less than 50? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find 45 there," he said, "I will not destroy it."

29 Once again Abraham spoke to him. He asked, "What if only 40 are found there?" He said, "If there are 40, I will not do it."

30 Then Abraham said, "Lord, don't let your anger burn against me. Let me speak. What if only 30 can be found there?" He answered, "If there are 30, I will not do it."

31 Abraham said, "I have been very bold to speak to the Lord. What if only 20 are found there?" He said, "If there are 20, I will not destroy it."

32 Then he said, "Lord, don't let your anger burn against me. Let me speak just one more time. What if only ten are found there?" He answered, "If there are ten, I will not destroy it."

33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left. And Abraham returned home.

1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting near the gate of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed down with his face to the ground.

2 "My lords," he said, "please come to my house. You can wash your feet and spend the night here. Then you can go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered. "We'll spend the night in the street."

3 But Lot wouldn't give up. So they went with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them. He baked bread without using yeast. And they ate.

4 Before Lot and his guests had gone to bed, all of the men came from every part of the city of Sodom. Young and old men alike surrounded the house.

5 They called out to Lot. They said, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us. We want to have sex with them."

6 Lot went outside to meet them. He shut the door behind him.

7 He said, "No, my friends. Don't do such an evil thing.

8 Look, I have two daughters. No man has ever made love to them. I'll bring them out to you now. Then do to them what you want to. But don't do anything to these men. I've brought them inside so they can be safe."

9 "Get out of our way!" the men of Sodom replied. They said, "This fellow came here as an outsider. Now he wants to act like a judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept trying to force Lot to open the door. Then they moved forward to break it down.

10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house. They shut the door.

11 Then they made the men who were at the door of the house blind. They blinded young and old men alike. So the men couldn't find the door.

12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here? Do you have sons-in-law, sons or daughters? Does anyone else in the city belong to you? Get them out of here.

13 We are going to destroy this place. There has been a great cry to the LORD against the people of this city. So he has sent us to destroy it."

14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law. They had promised to get married to his daughters. He said, "Hurry up! Get out of this place! The LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

15 The sun was coming up. So the angels tried to get Lot to leave. They said, "Hurry up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out! If you don't, you will be swept away when the city is punished."

16 Lot didn't move right away. So the men grabbed him by the hand. They also took hold of the hands of his wife and two daughters. They led all of them safely out of the city. The LORD had mercy on them.

17 As soon as the angels had brought them out, one of them spoke. He said, "Run for your lives! Don't look back! Don't stop anywhere in the valley! Run to the mountains! If you don't, you will be swept away!"

18 But Lot said to them, "No, my lords! Please!

19 You have done me a big favor. You have been very kind to me by sparing my life. But I can't run to the mountains. This horrible thing that's going to happen will catch up with me. And then I'll die.

20 "Look, here's a town near enough to run to. It's small. Let me run to it. It's very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared."

21 The LORD said to Lot, "All right. I will also give you what you are asking for. I will not destroy the town you are talking about.

22 But run there quickly. I can't do anything until you reach it." The town was named Zoar. Zoar means "small."

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land.

24 Then the LORD sent down burning sulfur. It came down like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah. It came from the LORD out of the sky.

25 He destroyed those cities and the whole valley. All of the people who were living in the cities were wiped out. So were the plants in the land.

26 But Lot's wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar made out of salt.

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up. He returned to the place where he had stood in front of the Lord.

28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley. He saw thick smoke rising from the land. It looked like smoke from a furnace.

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the valley, he showed concern for Abraham. He brought Lot out safely when he destroyed the cities where Lot had lived.

30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar. They went to settle down in the mountains. Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he and his daughters lived in a cave.

31 One day the older daughter spoke to the younger one. She said, "Our father is old. There aren't any other men around here to make love to, as people all over the earth do.

32 So let's get our father to drink wine. Then we can make love to him. We can use our father to continue our family line."

33 That night they got their father to drink wine. Then the older daughter went in and made love to him. He didn't know when she lay down or when she got up.

34 The next day the older daughter spoke to the younger one again. She said, "Last night I made love to my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight. Then you go in and make love to him. In that way, we can use our father to continue our family line."

35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also. Then the younger daughter went and made love to him. Again he didn't know when she lay down or when she got up.

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

37 The older daughter had a son. She named him Moab. He's the father of the Moabites of today.

38 The younger daughter also had a son. She named him Ben-Ammi. He's the father of the Ammonites of today.

1 "Be careful not to do 'good works' in front of others. Don't do them to be seen by others. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.

2 "When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honored by others. What I'm about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

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

4 Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will reward you. He sees what you do secretly.

5 "When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by others. What I'm about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

6 "When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can't be seen. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.

7 "When you pray, do not keep talking on and on the way ungodly people do. They think they will be heard because they talk a lot.

8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.

9 "This is how you should pray. " 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.

10 May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 Forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

13 Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one.'

14 "Forgive people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you.

15 But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

16 "When you go without eating, do not look gloomy like those who only pretend to be holy. They make their faces very sad. They want to show people they are fasting. What I'm about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

17 "But when you go without eating, put olive oil on your head. Wash your face.

18 Then others will not know that you are fasting. Only your Father, who can't be seen, will know it. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.