Genesis 18
1 And YHWH appears to him among the oaks of Mamre, and he is sitting at the opening of the tent, about the heat of the day;
And the LORD appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 and he lifts up his eyes and looks, and behold, three men standing by him, and he sees, and runs to meet them from the opening of the tent, and bows himself toward the earth,
and he lift 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 himself to the earth,
3 and he says, “My Lord, if now I have found grace in Your eyes, please do not pass on from 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 please let a little water be accepted, and wash Your feet, and recline under the tree;
let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 and I bring a piece of bread, and support Your heart; afterward pass on, for therefore You have passed over to Your servant”; and they say, “So may you do as you have spoken.”
and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort 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 Abraham hurries toward the tent, to Sarah, and says, “Hurry three measures of flour-meal, knead, 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 Abraham ran to the herd, and takes a son of the herd, tender and good, and gives to the young man, and he hurries to prepare it;
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hasted to dress it.
8 and he takes butter and milk, and the son of the herd which he has prepared, and sets before them; and he is standing by them under the tree, and they eat.
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 say to him, “Where [is] Sarah your wife?” And he says, “Behold—in the tent”;
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 and He says, “Returning I return to you, about the time of life, and behold, to Sarah your wife a son.” And Sarah is listening at the opening of the tent, which is 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 Abraham and Sarah [are] aged, entering into days—the way of women has ceased to be to Sarah;
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 laughs in her heart, saying, “After I have waxed old have I had pleasure? My lord [is] also old!”
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And YHWH says to Abraham, “Why [is] this? Sarah has laughed, saying, Is it really true—I bear—and I am aged?
And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is anything too wonderful for YHWH? At the appointed time I return to you, about the time of life, and Sarah has 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 And Sarah denies, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she has been afraid; and He says, “No, 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 rise from there, and look on the face of Sodom, and Abraham is going with them to send them away;
And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 and YHWH said, “Am I concealing from Abraham that which I am doing,
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do;
18 and Abraham certainly becomes a great and mighty nation, and blessed in him have been all nations of the earth?
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 have known him, that he commands his children, and his house after him (and they have kept the way of YHWH), to do righteousness and judgment, that YHWH may bring on Abraham that which He has spoken concerning 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 justice and judgment; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20 And YHWH says, “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah—because great; and their sin—because exceedingly grievous:
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming to Me they have done completely—and if not—I 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 turn from there, and go toward Sodom; and Abraham is yet standing before YHWH.
And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23 And Abraham draws near and says, “Do You also consume righteous with wicked?
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked?
24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous in the midst of the city; do You also consume, and not bear with the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who [are] in its midst?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 Far be it from You to do according to this thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked; that it has been—as the righteous so the wicked—far be it from You; does the Judge of all the earth not do justice?”
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 right?
26 And YHWH says, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city, then have I borne with all the place for their sake.”
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.
27 And Abraham answers and says, “Now behold, I have willed to speak to the Lord, and I [am] dust and ashes;
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 perhaps there are lacking five of the fifty righteous—do You destroy for five the whole of the city?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], if I 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 adds again to speak to Him and says, “Perhaps there are found there forty?” And He says, “I do not do [it], because of the forty.”
And he spake 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 says, “Please let it not be displeasing to the Lord, and I speak: perhaps there are found there thirty?” And He says, “I do not do [it], if I find there thirty.”
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 says, “Now behold, I have willed to speak to the Lord: perhaps there are found there twenty?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], because of the 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 says, “Please let it not be displeasing to the Lord, and I speak only this time: perhaps there are found there ten?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], because of the ten.”
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 goes on, when He has finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham has turned back to his place.
And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
