Genesis 18
1 And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon.
And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold! three men stood before him; and having seen them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and did obeisance to the ground.
and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth,
3 And he said, Lord, if indeed I have found grace in your sight, pass not by your servant.
and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.
4 Let water now be brought, and let them wash your feet, and do you refresh [yourselves] under the tree.
Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring bread, and you shall eat, and after this you shall depart on your journey, on account of which [refreshment] you have turned aside to your servant. And he said, So do, as you have said.
And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.' And they said: 'So do, as thou hast said.'
6 And Abraam hasted to the tent to Sarrha, and said to her, Hasten, and knead three measures of fine flour, and make cakes.
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.'
7 And Abraam ran to the kine, and took a young calf, tender and good, and gave it to his servant, and he hasted to dress it.
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it.
8 And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed; and he set them before them, and they did eat, and he stood by them under the tree.
And he took curd, 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 he said to him, Where is Sarrha your wife? And he answered and said, Behold! in the tent.
And they said unto him: 'Where is Sarah thy wife?' And he said: 'Behold, in the tent.'
10 And he said, I will return and come to you according to this period seasonably, and Sarrha your wife shall have a son; and Sarrha heard at the door of the tent, being behind him.
And He said: 'I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.' And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him. —
11 And Abraam and Sarrha were old, advanced in days, and the custom of women ceased with Sarrha.
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 Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'
13 And the Lord said to Abraam, Why is it that Sarrha has laughed in herself, saying, Shall I then indeed bear? but I am grown old.
And the LORD said unto Abraham: 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?
14 Shall anything be impossible with the Lord? At this time I will return to you seasonably, and Sarrha shall have a son.
Is any thing too hard for the LORD. At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.'
15 But Sarrha denied, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. And he said to her, Nay, but you did laugh.
Then Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid. And He said: 'Nay; but thou didst laugh.'
16 And the men having risen up from thence looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha. And Abraam went with them, attending them on their journey.
And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraam my servant what things I intend to do?
And the LORD said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing;
18 But Abraam shall become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blest.
seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know that he will order his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the ways of the Lord, to do justice and judgement, that the Lord may bring upon Abraam all things whatever he has spoken to him.
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 the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.'
20 And the Lord said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great.
And the LORD said: 'Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous.
21 I will therefore go down and see, if they completely correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know.
I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.'
22 And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord.
And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23 And Abraam drew near and said, Wouldest you destroy the righteous with the wicked, and shall the righteous be as the wicked?
And Abraham drew near, and said: 'Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
24 Should there be fifty righteous in the city, will you destroy them? will you not spare the whole place for the sake of the fifty righteous, if they be in it?
Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep away and not forgive the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 By no means shall you do as this thing [is] so as to destroy the righteous with the wicked, so the righteous shall be as the wicked: by no means. You that judge the whole earth, shall you not do right?
That be far from Thee 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 Thee; shall not the judge of all the earth do justly?'
26 And the Lord said, If there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes.
And the LORD said: 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sake.'
27 And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes.
And Abraham answered and said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.
28 But if the fifty righteous should be diminished to forty-five, will you destroy the whole city because of the five [lacking]? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there forty-five.
Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou 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 continued to speak to him still, and said, But if there should be found there forty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the forty's sake.
And he spoke unto 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, Will there be anything [against me], Lord, if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the thirty's sake.
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, Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there should be found there twenty? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty.
And he said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto 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, Will there be anything [against me], Lord, if I speak yet once? but if there should be found there ten? And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.
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 the Lord departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.
And the LORD went His way, as soon as He had left off speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.
