Abraham Beg God for Sodom

Early for morning, one old man climb go one ridge and e look east to di plain. Where cities stand di day before, thick smoke dey rise, like smoke from furnace. E don ask God for mercy. Now e dey wait to know how dat mercy take look.

Di three visitors wey chop for Abraham tent stand up and look towards Sodom, and Abraham waka with dem to escort dem. Sodom and Gomorrah dey down for di plain near di Jordan, rich and full with water. Abraham brother pikin Lot dey live for Sodom. And di Lord talk, I go hide from Abraham wetin I wan do? Di cry against Sodom and Gomorrah big well well, e talk, and dia sin heavy well well. E go go down go see. Two of di visitors begin go di city. But Abraham still stand for di front of di Lord.

Abraham come closer. You go sweep away di righteous together with di wicked? Wetin if fifty righteous people dey di city? E no go be you to treat di righteous and di wicked di same way. Di Judge of all di earth no go do wetin dey right? Di Lord answer, If I find fifty, I go spare di whole place because of dem. Abraham continue. I be only dust and ashes, but wetin if na forty-five? Then forty. Then thirty. Then twenty. Every time di Lord agree. At last Abraham talk, Make di Lord no vex, and I go talk only one more time. Wetin if na only ten dem find there? And di Lord talk, Because of di ten, I no go destroy am. Then di Lord go im way, and Abraham go back house.

Dat evening di two angels reach Sodom. Lot sit down for di city gate. E bow and beg dem make dem stay for im house, and dem stay. But before time to sleep, di men of di city, young and old, surround di house. Dem shout make Lot bring di strangers come out give dem, so dem fit abuse dem. Lot go outside, e shut di door behind am, and e beg dem. For im desperation, e even offer dem im two daughters wey never marry instead, offer wey no papa suppose make. Di crowd no gree listen. Dem push forward to break di door. Then di visitors stretch hand, pull Lot enter inside, shut di door, and strike di men wey dey outside with blindness, so dem dey feel around for darkness and dem no fit find di door.

Who else you get for here? di angels ask. Carry dem comot. Di Lord don send us to destroy dis place. Lot run go meet di men wey don engage im daughters. Get up! Comot! But dem think say e dey joke. For early morning di angels push am. Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters, or dis destruction go sweep you away. And still Lot dey delay. So di angels hold am for hand, and im wife and im daughters, and dem lead dem comot from di city. Genesis tell us why: di Lord show am mercy. Run for your life! No look back. Lot beg make dem allow am run go one small town near there, and dem allow am. Di sun don rise when e reach Zoar. Then di Lord rain burning sulphur and fire on top Sodom and Gomorrah, and e overturn di cities and di whole plain. But Lot wife, wey dey behind am, look back. And she become pillar of salt.

Early di next morning, Abraham go back to di place where e stand for di front of di Lord. E look down to di plain and e see di smoke dey rise. Dem no find ten righteous people. But Genesis end dis part of di story with one quiet sentence. When God destroy di cities of di plain, God remember Abraham, and e bring Lot comot from di middle of di destruction.

Genesis put dis cities for di valley near di Dead Sea, one area of salt and tar. Before, for chapter fourteen, e mention say dis valley full with tar pits. Even today, di south-west side of di sea get one ridge of rock salt wey dem dey call Mount Sodom, where pillars of salt stand out from di cliffs. Scholars still dey argue exactly where di cities stand. As for dia sin, Genesis show violence against strangers, and di prophet Ezekiel later add say Sodom get pride, plenty food and easy life, but dem no help di poor and di needy.

How Abraham beg God for Sodom, and how Lot escape, dey for Genesis chapter eighteen, verse sixteen, reach chapter nineteen, verse twenty-nine. Na hard story. God dey take injustice serious. And Abraham show us say we fit plead with God for other people. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who you go ready to stand for di front of God plead for?