Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis Reader

And the angels who had the likeness of men, turned thence and went towards Sedom. And Abraham now supplicated mercy for Lot, and ministered in prayer before the Lord.

Perhaps there are fifty innocent persons within the city, who pray before Thee,--ten for every city, of all the five cities of Sedom, Amorah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar. Wilt Thou in Thy displeasure destroy and not forgive the country, on account of the fifty innocent ones who are in it? Unholy would it be before Thee to do according to this word, to slay the innocent with the guilty, and to make the innocent to be as the guilty!

Perhaps of the fifty innocent persons, five may be wanting. On account of the five who may be wanting to Zoar, wilt Thou destroy the whole city? And He said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.

And he added yet to speak before Him, and said, Perhaps there may be forty found there; ten for each city of the four cities, and Zoar, whose guilt is lighter, forgive thou for Thy mercy's sake. And he said, I will not make an end for the sake of the forty innocent ones.

And he said, Let not the displeasure of the Lord, the Lord of all the world, wax strong against me, and I will speak. Perhaps thirty who pray may be found there, ten for each of the three cities, and Zeboim and Zoar forgive them for Thy mercy's sake. And He said, I will not make an end if I find thirty there.

And he said, Imploring mercy, I have now begun to speak before the Lord, the Lord of all the world. Perhaps twenty who pray may be found; ten in each of the two cities, and the three forgive Thou for Thy mercy's sake! And He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the twenty innocent.

And he said, I implore mercy before Thee! Let not the anger of the Lord,the Lord of all the world, grow strong, and I will speak only this time. Perhaps ten may be found there; and I and they will pray for mercy upon all the land, and Thou wilt forgive them. And He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the ten who may be innocent.

Two angels came to Sedom at the evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sedom. And Lot saw, and rose up to meet them from the gate of the tabernacle. And he bowed his face to the ground,

and said, I beg now, my lords, turn now hither, and enter the house of your servant, and lodge, and wash your feet; and you will arise and proceed on your way. And they said to him, No; for in the street we will lodge.

And he persuaded them earnestly, and they turned aside to be with him; and they entered his house, and he made a repast for them, and prepared unleavened cakes. And it seemed to him as if they did eat.

They had not yet lain down, when the wicked men of the city, the men of Sedom, came round upon the house, from the youth to the old man, all the people throughout.

Behold, now, I have two daughters who have had no dealing with a man; I would now bring even them out to you to do to them as is meet before you, rather than you should do evil to these men, because they have entered in to lodge under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Give up this. And they said, Did not this come alone to sojourn among us? and, behold, he is making himself a judge, and judging the whole of us. But now we will do worse to thee than to them. And they prevailed against the man, against Lot, greatly, and came near, to shatter the door.

But the men who were at the gate of the house they struck with a suffusion of the eyes, from the young to the old, and they wearied themselves to find the gate.

And Lot went forth, and spake with his sons-in-law who had taken his daughters, and said, Arise, come forth from this place; for the Lord destroyeth the city. But the word was as a wonder, (and he) as a man ranting, in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

And at the time that the morning was about to uprise, the angels were urgent upon Lot, saying, Up, take thy wife and thy two daughters who are with you, lest you perish in the condemnation of the inhabitants of the city.

But he delayed: and the men laid hold on his hand, and on the hand of his wife, and on the hand of his two daughters, for mercy from the Lord was upon them. And they brought them forth, and set them without the city.

And it was that as they led them without, one of them returned into Sedom, to destroy it; and one remained with Lot, and said to him, Be merciful to your life; look not behind you, and stand not in all the plain; to the mountain escape, or you perish.

Behold, now, thy servant hath found mercy before Thee, and Thou hast multiplied the kindness Thou hast done me in saving my life, and I am not able to escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die.

Behold, now, I pray, this city, it is a near habitation, and convenient (for us) to escape thither; and it is small, and the guilt thereof light. I will flee thither, then. Is it not a little one? and my life shall be preserved.

And He said, Behold, I have accepted thee in this matter also, that I will not overthrow the city for which thou hast spoken, to destroy it, that thou mayest escape to it.

And the Word of the Lord had caused showers of favour to descend upon Sedom and Amorah, to the intent that they might work repentance, but they did it not: so that they said, Wickedness is not manifest before the Lord. Behold, then, there are now sent down upon them sulphur and fire from before the Word of the Lord from Heaven.

And his wife looked after the angel, to know what would be in the end of her father's house, for she was of the daughters of the Sedomaee; and because she sinned by salt (bemilcha) she was manifestly punished; behold, she was made a statue of salt.

And it was when the Lord destroyed the cities of the plain, that He remembered the righteousness of Abraham, and sent forth Lot from the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities wherein Lot had dwelt.

And Lot went up from Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; because he feared to reside in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cavern, he and his two daughters.

And they made their father drink wine that night, and he was drunk. And the elder arose, and lay with her father, nor did he know when she lay down, nor when she arose.

And it was the day following, and the elder said to the less, Behold, now, I lay my evening with the father; let us make him drink wine this night also, that he may be drunk; and go thou and lie with him, that we may raise up sons from our father.

And they made their father drink wine that night also, and he was drunk, and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not in her lying down nor in her rising up.

And the elder brought forth a son, and she called his name Moab, because from her father she had conceived. He is the father of the Moabaee unto this day.

And the younger also brought forth a son, and she called his name Bar-Ammi, because he was the son of her father. He is the father of the Ammonite people unto this day.

And a word came from before the Lord unto Abimelek, in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou diest, because of the woman whom thou hast carried away, and she a man's wife.

But Abimelek had not come nigh to defile her; and he said, Lord, shall the son of a people who hath not sinned, and whom it is right to absolve in the judgment, be killed?

Did he not tell me, She is my sister? and did not she also say, He is my brother? In the truthfulness of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this.

And the Word of the Lord said to him in a dream, Before Me also it is manifest that in the truthfulness of thy heart thou didst this, and so restrained I thee from sinning before Me; therefore I would not permit thee to come near her.

And now let the wife of the man return; for he is a prophet; he will pray for thee, and thou shalt live: but if thou wilt not let her return, know that dying thou shalt die, thou and all who are thine.

And Abimelek called Abraham, and said, What hast thou done to us? And in what have I sinned against thee? For thou hast brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin. Thou hast wrought with me works that are not right.

And it was when they sought to turn me aside to the wor-ship of idols, and I went forth from my father's house, that I said to her, This is the kindness thou shalt do me: in every place to which we come, say concerning me, He is my brother.

And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given a thousand sileen of silver to thy brother; behold, they are to thee a veil of the eyes, inasmuch as thou wast hidden from thine husband one night, and I would have seen thee: for were I to give all that I have it would not suffice (or be proportionate). And the words were debated. And Abraham knew that Abimelek had not come near Sarah his wife.

And the Lord remembered Sarah according to that which He had said to her; and the Lord wrought a miracle for Sarah like to that for which Abraham had spoken in prayer for Abimelek.

And she said, How faithful was the messenger who announced to Abraham, and said, Sarah will nurse children, for she shall bring forth a son in her old age!