Gen 18
1
And YHWH appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat
of the day;
2
and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood over against him:
and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to
the earth,
3
and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away, I pray
you, from your servant:
4
let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the
tree:
5
and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen you your heart; after that you
shall pass on: seeing that as you are come to your servant. And they said, So do,
as you have said.
6
And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures
of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.
7
And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it to the
servant; and he hasted to dress it.
8
And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before
them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9
And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10
And he said, I will certainly return to you when the season comes round; and, behold,
Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind
him.
11
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, [and] well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with
Sarah after the manner of women.
12
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure,
my lord being old also?
13
And YHWH said to Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear
a child, who am old?
14
Is anything too hard for YHWH? At the set time I will return to you, when the season
comes round, and Sarah shall have a son.
15
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but
you did laugh.
16
And the men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them
to bring them on the way.
17
And YHWH said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do;
18
seeing that Abraham had surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19
For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household
after him, that they may keep the way of YHWH, to do righteousness and justice; to
the end that YHWH may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.
20
And YHWH said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin
is very grievous;
21
I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry
of it, which is come to me; and if not, I will know.
22
And the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before
YHWH.
23
And Abraham drew near, and said, Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?
24
Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: will you consume and not spare
the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25
That be far from you to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked,
that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from you: shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right?
26
And YHWH said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare
all the place for their sake.
27
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord,
who am but dust and ashes:
28
peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: will you destroy all the
city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and
five.
29
And he spoke to him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there.
And he said, I will not do it for the forty`s sake.
30
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall
thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord: peradventure there
shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty`s sake.
32
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure
ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten`s sake.
33
And YHWH went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham
returned to his place.