Genesis 18
1 And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon.
The LORD 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 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.
He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood near him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself 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 favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant.
4 Let water now be brought, and let them wash your feet, and do you refresh [yourselves] under the tree.
Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest 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.
I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant.” They said, “Very well, do as you have 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.
Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs 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.
Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried 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.
He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
9 And he said to him, Where is Sarrha your wife? And he answered and said, Behold! in the tent.
They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” He said, “There, 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.
He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” 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, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12 And Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.
Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will 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.
The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I 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 anything too hard for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will 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 it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did 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.
The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraam my servant what things I intend to do?
The LORD said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do,
18 But Abraam shall become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blest.
since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will 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 judgment, 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 on Abraham that which he has 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.
The LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very 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 their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.”
22 And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord.
The men turned from there, 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?
Abraham came near, and said, “Will you consume 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?
What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?
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?
May it be far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”
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.
The LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole 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.
Abraham answered, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, although I am 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.
What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?” He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
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.
He spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if there are forty found there?” 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.
He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?” 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.
He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?” 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.
He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” 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.
The LORD went his way as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
