Genesis 18
1 Apparuit autem ei Dominus in convalle Mambre sedenti in ostio tabernaculi sui in ipso fervore diei.
Now the Lord came to him by the holy tree of Mamre, when he was seated in the doorway of his tent in the middle of the day;
2 Cumque elevasset oculos, apparuerunt ei tres viri stantes prope eum: quos cum vidisset, cucurrit in occursum eorum de ostio tabernaculi sui, et adoravit in terram.
And lifting up his eyes, he saw three men before him; and seeing them, he went quickly to them from the door of the tent, and went down on his face to the earth;
3 Et dixit: Domine, si inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, ne transeas servum tuum:
And said, My Lord, if now I have grace in your eyes, do not go away from your servant:
4 sed afferam pauxillum aquae, et laventur pedes vestri, et requiescite sub arbore.
Let me get water for washing your feet, and take your rest under the tree:
5 Ponamque buccellam panis, et confortetur cor vestrum, postea transibitis: idcirco enim declinastis ad servum vestrum. Qui dixerunt: Fac ut locutus es.
And let me get a bit of bread to keep up your strength, and after that you may go on your way: for this is why you have come to your servant. And they said, Let it be so.
6 Festinavit Abraham in tabernaculum ad Saram, dixitque ei: Accelera, tria sata similae commisce, et fac subcinericios panes.
Then Abraham went quickly into the tent, and said to Sarah, Get three measures of meal straight away and make cakes.
7 Ipse vero ad armentum cucurrit, et tulit inde vitulum tenerrimum et optimum, deditque puero: qui festinavit, et coxit illum.
And running to the herd, he took a young ox, soft and fat, and gave it to the servant and he quickly made it ready;
8 Tulit quoque butyrum et lac, et vitulum quem coxerat, et posuit coram eis: ipse vero stabat iuxta eos sub arbore.
And he took butter and milk and the young ox which he had made ready and put it before them, waiting by them under the tree while they took food.
9 Cumque comedissent, dixerunt ad eum: Ubi est Sara uxor tua? ille respondit: Ecce in tabernaculo est.
And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, She is in the tent.
10 Cui dixit: Revertens veniam ad te tempore isto, vita comite, et habebit filium Sara uxor tua. Quo audito, Sara risit post ostium tabernaculi.
And he said, I will certainly come back to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife will have a son. And his words came to the ears of Sarah who was at the back of the tent-door.
11 Erant autem ambo senes, provectaeque aetatis, et desierant Sarae fieri muliebria.
Now Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was past the time for giving birth.
12 Quae risit occulte dicens: Postquam consenui, et dominus meus vetulus est, voluptati operam dabo?
And Sarah, laughing to herself, said, Now that I am used up am I still to have pleasure, my husband himself being old?
13 Dixit autem Dominus ad Abraham: Quare risit Sara, dicens: Num vere paritura sum anus?
And the Lord said, Why was Sarah laughing and saying, Is it possible for me, being old, to give birth to a child?
14 Numquid Deo quidquam est difficile? iuxta condictum revertar ad te hoc eodem tempore, vita comite, et habebit Sara filium.
Is there any wonder which the Lord is not able to do? At the time I said, in the spring, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a child.
15 Negavit Sara, dicens: Non risi, timore perterrita. Dominus autem: Non est, inquit, ita: sed risisti.
Then Sarah said, I was not laughing; for she was full of fear. And he said, No, but you were laughing.
16 Cum ergo surrexissent inde viri, direxerunt oculos contra Sodomam: et Abraham simul gradiebatur, deducens eos.
And the men went on from there in the direction of Sodom; and Abraham went with them on their way.
17 Dixitque Dominus: Num celare potero Abraham quae gesturus sum:
And the Lord said, Am I to keep back from Abraham the knowledge of what I do;
18 cum futurus sit in gentem magnam, ac robustissimam, et BENEDICENDAe sint in illo omnes nationes terrae?
Seeing that Abraham will certainly become a great and strong nation, and his name will be used by all the nations of the earth as a blessing?
19 Scio enim quod praecepturus sit filiis suis, et domui suae post se ut custodiant viam Domini, et faciant iudicium et iustitiam: ut adducat Dominus propter Abraham omnia quae locutus est ad eum.
For I have made him mine so that he may give orders to his children and those of his line after him, to keep the ways of the Lord, to do what is good and right: so that the Lord may do to Abraham as he has said.
20 Dixit itaque Dominus: Clamor Sodomorum et Gomorrhaeorum multiplicatus est, et peccatum eorum aggravatum est nimis.
And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is very great, and their sin is very evil,
21 Descendam, et videbo utrum clamorem qui venit ad me, opere compleverint: an non est ita, ut sciam.
I will go down now, and see if their acts are as bad as they seem from the outcry which has come to me; and if they are not, I will see.
22 Converteruntque se inde, et abierunt Sodomam: Abraham vero adhuc stabat coram Domino.
And the men, turning from that place, went on to Sodom: but Abraham was still waiting before the Lord.
23 Et appropinquans ait: Numquid perdes iustum cum impio?
And Abraham came near, and said, Will you let destruction come on the upright with the sinners?
24 Si fuerint quinquaginta iusti in civitate, peribunt simul? et non parces loco illi propter quinquaginta iustos, si fuerint in eo?
If by chance there are fifty upright men in the town, will you give the place to destruction and not have mercy on it because of the fifty upright men?
25 Absit a te, ut rem hanc facias, et occidas iustum cum impio, fiatque iustus sicut impius, non est hoc tuum: qui iudicas omnem terram, nequaquam facies iudicium hoc.
Let such a thing be far from you, to put the upright to death with the sinner: will not the judge of all the earth do right?
26 Dixitque Dominus ad eum: Si invenero Sodomis quinquaginta iustos in medio civitatis, dimittam omni loco propter eos.
And the Lord said, If there are fifty upright men in the town, I will have mercy on it because of them.
27 Respondensque Abraham, ait: Quia semel coepi, loquar ad Dominum meum, cum sim pulvis et cinis.
And Abraham answering said, Truly, I who am only dust, have undertaken to put my thoughts before the Lord:
28 Quid si minus quinquaginta iustis quinque fuerint? delebis, quia quadraginta quinque, universam urbem? Et ait: Non delebo, si invenero ibi quadraginta quinque.
If by chance there are five less than fifty upright men, will you give up all the town to destruction because of these five? And he said, I will not give it to destruction if there are forty-five.
29 Rursumque locutus est ad eum: Sin autem quadraginta ibi inventi fuerint, quid facies? Ait: Non percutiam propter quadraginta.
And again he said to him, By chance there may be forty there. And he said, I will not do it if there are forty.
30 Ne quaeso, inquit, indigneris Domine, si loquar: Quid si ibi inventi fuerint triginta? Respondit: Non faciam, si invenero ibi triginta.
And he said, Let not the Lord be angry with me if I say, What if there are thirty there? And he said, I will not do it if there are thirty.
31 Quia semel, ait, coepi loquar ad Dominum meum: Quid si ibi inventi fuerint viginti? Ait: Non interficiam propter viginti.
And he said, See now, I have undertaken to put my thoughts before the Lord: what if there are twenty there? And he said, I will have mercy because of the twenty.
32 Obsecro, inquit, ne irascaris Domine, si loquar adhuc semel: Quid si inventi fuerint ibi decem? Et dixit: Non delebo propter decem.
And he said, O let not the Lord be angry and I will say only one word more: by chance there may be ten there. And he said, I will have mercy because of the ten.
33 Abiitque Dominus, postquam cessavit loqui ad Abraham: et ille reversus est in locum suum.
And the Lord went on his way when his talk with Abraham was ended, and Abraham went back to his place.
