The Cruelty of Sodom and How Eliezer Outwitted Its Judges

"And the LORD said, etc." To Abraham He said, "Let Me go down now" — to the end, [that is,] their intent, "and I will see" whether there is in their heart [the will] to repent or not. "Whether according to its cry" — I will see: if they return in repentance I will forgive them, and if they do not return in repentance, no. And it says, "For the LORD knows the way of the righteous" (Psalms 1:6). And what were the deeds of the men of Sodom? When a guest would pass by them, each and every one would give a gold coin, but bread they would not give him, and he would die of hunger. After he had died, each and every one would take back his gold coin. Once there was a poor man there and he was dying of hunger, and Lot had a daughter whose name was Kallah, and she would go to draw water, and she would put bread in her jar and give it to that poor man. The men of Sodom said, "From where does this poor man live?" They investigated the matter and understood that the daughter of Lot was sustaining him. And what did they do? They went and stripped her and smeared her with honey, and the bees and the flies were eating the honey and stinging her until they killed her. Therefore it says, "they have done [kallah / an end]." And furthermore, when a poor man would enter there and wished to leave, immediately they would lay him on a small bed, and they would cut off his legs — whatever extended beyond that bed, which was short. And if he was short, they would lay him on a long bed and seize him from his head to his feet, and they would stretch him, so that his body would come out whole like the bed; and they would do thus until they killed him. And there were the judges there: Shakrai and Shakrurai, Zayfi, and Matzlerin. When a whole [unharmed] man entered there, one of them would strike him on his head, and the blood would come out of him; and when the one who was struck went to the judges, the judge would say to him, "Go out and give him his wage for letting your blood." And when a man would bring there fruit or kinds of legumes to sell, each and every one would take one of the fruits, and would say to the owner of the fruit, "I took only a single fruit," and thus they would do to him until they had taken everything that he brought in his hand. One time, Eliezer the servant of Abraham went up there. They sought to lay him down and to do to him what they were accustomed to do to the rest of the guests. He said to them, "Go away from me, for I have taken an oath that I will not lie on a bed until I see the face of my master." On the next day, when he was walking in the marketplace, a certain man came, took up a club, and struck him on his head. Eliezer went to the judge to cry out concerning his being struck. The judge said to him, "Go give him his wage for the blood that he let out of you." What did Eliezer do? He took up a stone and struck the judge on his head, and blood came out. He said to the judge, "The wage that you are to give to me, give it to this one."