Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)Listen, you’ve been kind to me and show us mercy by saving my life, but I won’t be able to make it to the hills because the disaster will overtake me and I’ll die.
Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΚύριε, ἐπειδὴ εὗρεν ὁ παῖς σου ἔλεος ἐναντίον σου, καὶ ἐμεγάλυνας τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, ὃ ποιεῖς ἐπʼ ἐμὲ, τοῦ ζῆν τὴν ψυχήν μου· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ δυνήσομαι διασωθῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος, μή ποτε καταλάβῃ με τὰ κακὰ, καὶ ἀποθάνω. (Kurie, epeidaʸ heuren ho pais sou eleos enantion sou, kai emegalunas taʸn dikaiosunaʸn sou, ho poieis epʼ eme, tou zaʸn taʸn psuⱪaʸn mou; egō de ou dunaʸsomai diasōthaʸnai eis to oros, maʸ pote katalabaʸ me ta kaka, kai apothanō. )
BrTrsince thy servant has found mercy before thee, and thou hast magnified thy righteousness, in what thou doest towards me that my soul may live,—but I shall not be able to escape to the mountain, lest perhaps the calamity overtake me and I die.
ULTBehold, please: Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have magnified your mercy that you have shown to me by saving my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains, because the disaster will overtake me and I will die.
USTListen to me please: You have treated me well even though I am unimportant, and you have been very kind to me and saved my life. But I am not able to run all the way to the mountains before the disaster occurs and kills me.
BSBYour servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.
OEBSee, your servant has found favour with you, and you have shown great mercy to me in saving my life. I cannot escape to the heights, lest some evil overtake me, and I die.
WEBBESee now, your servant has found favour in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can’t escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die.
NETYour servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because this disaster will overtake me and I’ll die.
LSVnow behold, your servant has found grace in your eyes, and you make great your kindness which you have done with me by saving my life, and I am unable to escape to the mountain, lest the evil cleave [to] me and I have died;
FBV“If you don't mind, since you have already been so kind to me by saving my life, don't make me run to the mountains—I just can't make it. The destruction will overtake me and I'll die!
T4TPlease, listen. You have been pleased with me and have been very kind to me and spared my life. But I cannot flee to the mountain. If I try to do that, I will die in this disaster [PRS].
LEBBehold, your servant has found favor in your eyes and you have shown me great kindness[fn] in saving my life. But I cannot flee to the mountains, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.
19:19Literally “your kindness which you have done to me you have made great”
BBESee now, your servant has had grace in your eyes and great is your mercy in keeping my life from destruction, but I am not able to get as far as the mountain before evil overtakes me and death;
JPSbehold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.
ASVbehold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy lovingkindness, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die:
DRABecause thy servant hath found grace before thee, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewn to me, in saving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil seize me, and I die:
YLTlo, I pray thee, thy servant hath found grace in thine eyes, and thou dost make great thy kindness which thou hast done with me by saving my life, and I am unable to escape to the mountain, lest the evil cleave [to] me, and I have died;
Drbybehold now, thy servant has found favour in thine eyes, and thou hast magnified thy goodness, which thou hast shewn to me in preserving my soul alive; but I cannot escape to the mountain, lest calamity lay hold on me, that I die.
RVbehold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die:
WbstrBehold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown to me in saving my life: and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil should take me, and I die:
KJB-1769Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: (Behold now, thy/your servant hath/has found grace in thy/your sight, and thou/you hast magnified thy/your mercy, which thou/you hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: )
KJB-1611Beholde now, thy seruant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed vnto me, in sauing my life, and I cannot escape to the mountaine, lest some euill take me, and I die. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)
BshpsBeholde thy seruaunt hath founde grace in thy syght, and thou hast magnified thy mercy which thou hast shewed vnto me in sauyng my lyfe: Beholde I can not be saued in the mountayne, lest some harme fall vppon me, and I dye. (Behold thy/your servant hath/has found grace in thy/your syght, and thou/you hast magnified thy/your mercy which thou/you hast showed unto me in saving my life: Behold I cannot be saved in the mountain, lest some harm fall uppon me, and I die.)
GnvaBehold now, thy seruant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercie, which thou hast shewed vnto me in sauing my life: and I cannot escape in the mountaine, least some euill take me, and I die. (Behold now, thy/your servant hath/has found grace in thy/your sight, and thou/you hast magnified thy/your mercy, which thou/you hast showed unto me in saving my life: and I cannot escape in the mountain, least some evil take me, and I die. )
Cvdlbeholde, in as moch as thy seruaut hath founde grace in thy sight, now make ye mercy greate, which thou hast shewed vnto me, in that thou sauest my soule alyue. I can not saue my self vpon the mountayne. There might some mysfortune fall vpon me, that I shulde dye. (beholde, in as much as thy/your servant hath/has found grace in thy/your sight, now make ye/you_all mercy greate, which thou/you hast showed unto me, in that thou/you savest/saves my soul alive. I cannot save myself upon the mountain. There might some mysfortune fall upon me, that I should die.)
Wyclfor thi seruaunt hath founde grace bifore thee, and thou hast magnyfied thi grace and mercy, which thou hast do with me, that thou schuldist saue my lijf; Y may not be saued in the hil, lest perauenture yuel take me, and Y die; (for thy/your servant hath/has found grace before thee/you, and thou/you hast magnyfied thy/your grace and mercy, which thou/you hast do with me, that thou/you should save my life; I may not be saved in the hill, lest peradventure/perhaps evil take me, and I die;)
LuthSiehe, dieweil dein Knecht Gnade funden hat vor deinen Augen, so wollest du deine Barmherzigkeit groß machen, die du an mir getan hast, daß du meine SeeLE bei dem Leben erhieltest. Ich kann mich nicht auf dem Berge erretten; es möchte mich ein Unfall ankommen, daß ich stürbe. (See, dieweil your Knecht Gnade funden has before/in_front_of deinen Augen, so want you your compassion large machen, the you at to_me did hast, that you my SeeLE at to_him life erhieltest. I kann me not on to_him mountains/hills erretten; it möchte me a Unfall ankommen, that I stürbe.)
ClVgquia invenit servus tuus gratiam coram te, et magnificasti misericordiam tuam quam fecisti mecum, ut salvares animam meam, nec possum in monte salvari, ne forte apprehendat me malum, et moriar: (because invenit servus tuus gratiam before you(sg), and magnificasti misericordiam tuam how fecisti mecum, as salvares animam mine, but_not possum in mountain salvari, not forte apprehendat me evil, and moriar: )
19:1-38 The Canaanites were an evil, corrupting people. God judged their morally bankrupt civilization and warned others against becoming like them. It was difficult to get Lot and his family out of Sodom; it was more difficult to get Sodom out of Lot and his family. This chapter helped later Israelites to understand the moral and spiritual threat of the peoples living in and around the Promised Land, such as the Canaanites and Lot’s descendants, the Moabites and the Ammonites (see Num 22–25; Deut 23:3-6; Josh 24:9; Judg 10:7-9; 11:4-5; 1 Sam 10:27; 1 Kgs 11:1-3; 2 Kgs 24:2).
The phrase “your servant” does not mean that Lot is actually a servant for the angels, but rather, it is a humble way for Lot to refer to himself and show respect to them. See how you translated that phrase in verse 2. Also see how you translated the idiom “found favor in … eyes” in Gen 6:8 and 18:3. Alternate translation: “I, your servant, have been treated well by you,” or “You have treated me kindly even though I am unimportant,”
This is the first occurrence in the Bible of the important Hebrew word “khesed,” which is translated as “mercy,” “kindness,” or “lovingkindness” and often implies that it was not deserved. Compare how you translated a different word that has a similar meaning (mercy or “compassion”) in verse 16. Alternate translation: “and you have shown me great mercy” or “and you have been very merciful to me”
וְאָנֹכִ֗י לֹ֤א אוּכַל֙ לְהִמָּלֵ֣ט הָהָ֔רָה
and,I not I_can to,flee the,mountains,to
See how you translated the mountains in verse 17. Alternate translation: “But I am not able to flee all the way to the hills” or “But there is no way that I can make it safely all the way to the hills” or “But the hills are too far away for me to make it there safely”
The word disaster is personified here, that is, it is talked about as if it can act in human ways. Consider whether or not it would be clear and natural to do that here in your language. Alternate translation: “before the disaster catches up with me and kills me.” or “before the disaster strikes and kills me.”
Author’s note: This article assumes that Sodom, Gomorrah, and Bela (Zoar) were located at Bab edh-Dhra, Numeira, and Khirbat ash-Sheikh `Isa, respectively. The exact locations of the cities of the plain are widely debated, with the primary dispute centering around whether the cities are to be found in the northern area of the Dead Sea (since Lot headed east from Bethel [Genesis 13]) or the southern area (as the Medeba Map shows). It is beyond the scope of this article to present all the evidence to support a southern location, but many of them are well summarized here: “The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.” In addition, Eusebius in his Onomasticon describes the Dead Sea as lying between Jericho and Zoar. This author has also recently found that Eusebius notes that Nebereim (Nimrim; see Isaiah 15:6 and Jeremiah 48:34) is located at a village called Bennamareim (likely the site of Gomorrah on this map), which he also says is north of Zoar. Thus, if Eusebius is correct, Zoar is clearly located in the southern area of the Dead Sea, which fits very well with the location shown on this map. Also, Lot’s relocation to Sodom after moving east to the plain of the Jordan suggests that Sodom was located on the east side of the Dead Sea.
The famous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are first mentioned in Genesis 10:19 in a description of the territory of the Canaanites. The cities are mentioned again in chapter 13, which notes that while Abraham (then called Abram) was living near Bethel (also called Luz), tension began to grow between Abraham’s herders and the herders working for Abraham’s nephew Lot. To resolve the problem, Abraham suggested that he and Lot permanently part ways, and he offered Lot first choice of where to live. Lot chose to move east to the plain of the Jordan, because the land was well watered, and he eventually settled in the city of Sodom. Genesis 14 then describes how Lot was captured by four Mesopotamian kings as they attacked the cities of the plain, but Abraham rescued Lot. Sometime after this Abraham moved to the oaks of Mamre, near Hebron, and three visitors (one of whom is later called “the Lord,” and the other two “angels”) approached his tent. Abraham invited them to share a meal with him and then later accompanied them for the first part of their journey. Along the way the visitors revealed to Abraham that they were going to Sodom to destroy it for its wickedness. Abraham appealed to the Lord to spare the city if even a few righteous lived there, and the Lord agreed and went his way. The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening (Genesis 19:1), presumably the same day they left, although perhaps they actually took more than one day to travel to Sodom, because the distance from Mamre to Sodom is over 35 miles (56 km), and Scripture does not specifically note that it was the same day. The events that followed that evening are well known, and in the morning the angels compelled Lot and his family to flee the city before it was destroyed. The angels instructed them to flee to the hills, but Lot convinced them to allow him to take refuge in a small village on the plain and not destroy it. Genesis 19:23 seems to suggest that it took Lot’s family a full day and night to reach Zoar, which fits well with the 16 mile (25 km) distance from Sodom to Zoar. As they were reaching Zoar, the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur on Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, completely destroying them. As Lot’s family was still fleeing, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. That same morning Abraham got up and went to where he had last spoken with the visitors, and when he looked out across the plain he saw columns of smoke rising from the destroyed cities. Later Lot and his daughters moved into the hills and lived in a cave, because they were afraid to remain in Zoar. Fearing they would never marry, Lot’s daughters both got their father drunk and conceived children by him, though he was unaware of it. These children became ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites.
