Assyria Conquers Sodom

At this time, when the Assyrians ruled Asia, the people of Sodom were prospering, both in wealth and in the number of their young men. Five kings governed this country: Bera, Birsha, Shinab and Shemeber, with the king of Bela; and each king led his own troops. The Assyrians made war on them, divided their army into four parts, and besieged them. Each part of the army had its own commander. When battle was joined the Assyrians won, and they laid a tribute on the kings of the Sodomites, who submitted to this slavery for twelve years and paid their tribute all that time. But in the thirteenth year they rebelled, and then the army of the Assyrians came against them under its commanders Amraphel, Arioch, Chedorlaomer and Tidal. [a]

These kings had laid waste all of Syria and overthrown the descendants of the giants. When they came opposite Sodom, they pitched their camp in the valley called the Tar Pits, for at that time there were pits in that place; but since the destruction of the city of Sodom that valley has become the lake called Asphaltites. I will say more about this lake shortly. When the Sodomites joined battle with the Assyrians, the fighting was very stubborn; many of them were killed, and the rest were carried off as captives. Among the captives was Lot, who had come to help the Sodomites.