Knowing that if provoked to violence they could easily break into his house, Lot went out to try the effect of persuasion upon them. "I pray you, brethren," he said, "do not so wickedly," using the term "brethren" in the sense of neighbors, and hoping to conciliate them and make them ashamed of their vile purposes. But his words were like oil upon the flames. Their rage became like the roaring of a tempest. They mocked Lot as making himself a judge over them, and threatened to deal worse with him than they had purposed toward his guests. They rushed upon him, and would have torn him in pieces had he not been rescued by the angels of God. The heavenly messengers "put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door." The events that followed, revealed the character of the guests he had entertained. "They smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door." Had they not been visited with double blindness, being given up to hardness of heart, the stroke of God upon them would have caused them to fear, and to desist from their evil work. That last night was marked by no greater sins than many others before it; but mercy, so long slighted, had at last ceased its pleading. The inhabitants of Sodom had passed the limits of divine forbearance--"the hidden boundary between God's patience and His wrath." The fires of His vengeance were about to be kindled in the vale of Siddim.

Lot vidste, at hvis de blev ophidset til vold, kunne de let bryde ind i huset, og derfor gik han ud for at prøve at tale dem til fornuft. "Gør dog ikke noget ondt, mine brødre!" sagde han. Han brugte ordet "brødre" i betydningen naboer og håbede at kunne berolige dem og gøre dem skamfulde over deres slette forsæt. Men hans ord virkede som olie på flammer. Deres raseri blev som et voldsomt uvejr. De hånede Lot, fordi han satte sig til dommer over dem, og ville have flået ham, hvis Guds engle ikke havde reddet ham. De himmelske udsendinge rakte hånden ud "og trak Lot ind til sig og lukkede døren". De begivenheder, der fulgte, åbenbarede de gæsters natur, som han havde i huset. "Mændene uden for porten til huset slog de med blindhed, både store og små, så de forgæves søgte at finde porten." Var de ikke blevet slået med dobbelt blindhed og overgivet til hjertets hårdhed, ville Guds hjemsøgelse have fået dem til at frygte og afholde sig fra deres onde værk. Der blev ikke begået større synder i denne sidste nat end i så mange tidligere nætter; men nåden, som de så længe havde ladet hånt om, var til sidst holdt op med at gå i forbøn. Sodomas indbyggere havde overskredet grænsen for Guds overbærenhed, "den skjulte grænse mellem Guds tålmodighed og hans vrede". Hans hævns ild skulle snart tændes i Siddims dal.