18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the special oak trees of Mamre. It was the hot time of day and Abraham was sitting by the door of his tent. 2 Abraham looked up and he saw three men. He ran in a hurry to meet them. He bent down to the ground to respect them. [ a ]
3 Abraham said, ‘Please sir, stop here and let me serve you. That would make me very happy. 4 Let us bring some water so that you can all wash your feet. Then you can rest under this tree. 5 Let me also bring some food for you to eat. Now that you have come to my home, you should rest and become strong again. Then you will be ready to continue with your journey.’ The men replied, ‘That is good. Please do what you have said.’
6 Abraham went quickly to the tent. He said to Sarah, ‘Be quick! Get plenty of good flour and make bread with it.’ 7 Then Abraham ran to his cows. He chose a very nice young cow. He gave it to his servant. The servant quickly prepared it for the men to eat. 8 Then Abraham also brought some cream and some milk, as well as the meat from the cow. He put all the food in front of the men. While they ate it, Abraham stood near them, under a tree.
9 Then the men asked Abraham, ‘Where is Sarah, your wife?’ Abraham replied, ‘She is there in the tent.’
10 Then one of the men said, ‘I will certainly return to you at about this time next year. At that time Sarah, your wife, will have a son!’
Sarah was listening to all this. She was at the door of the tent, near to where they were talking. 11 Abraham and Sarah were now very old. Sarah was past the age when she could give birth to a child. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself. She thought, ‘I have become old and weak. My husband is also old. I will never have a baby and be happy like that.’
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh like that? She said, “I am too old to have a child.” 14 But surely, nothing is too difficult for the Lord to do. At this time next year, I will return to you and Sarah will have a son.’
15 Then Sarah was afraid. So she told a lie. She said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But the Lord said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’
16 Then Abraham's visitors started to leave. They looked down in the valley towards Sodom. Abraham was walking with them to say ‘goodbye’ to them. 17 Then the Lord said to himself, ‘I should tell Abraham what I have decided to do. 18 Abraham's descendants will become a great nation of people. They will be very powerful. Through him, I will bless all the nations of the earth. [ b ] 19 I have chosen him so that he will teach my message to his children and their families. He will teach them to do what is right and what is fair. Then I, the Lord , will do for Abraham everything that I have promised to him.’
20 So the Lord said to Abraham, ‘I have heard how bad the people in Sodom and Gomorrah are. Everybody says that their sins are very bad. 21 So I must go down there to see if it is really true. I will see if those people are as bad as everybody says they are. Then I will know what is true.’
22 The other two men then turned away and they went towards Sodom. But Abraham stayed there to talk with the Lord .
23 Then Abraham went near to the Lord and he asked, ‘Will you destroy the good people as well as the bad people? 24 There might be 50 people in the city who live in a good way. Will you still destroy the whole city? Or will you leave it there, because there are 50 good people in it? 25 Will you kill them all, the good people and the bad people? Surely you would not do anything like that! You would not punish good people in the same way as bad people. You are the great judge of everyone on the earth. You will surely do what is right!’
26 The Lord replied, ‘If I see that there are 50 good people in the city of Sodom, I will not destroy that place. Because of those 50 good people, I will leave the city there.’
27 Then Abraham spoke again. He said, ‘I have been brave enough to speak to the Lord. I know that I am nothing more than dust and ashes. [ c ] 28 But let me ask you this. What will you do if there are 45 good people in the city? Will you destroy the city, because there are only five fewer good people there?’ The Lord replied, ‘If I see that there are 45 good people in the city, I will not destroy it.’
29 Abraham spoke to God again. He said, ‘What will you do if only 40 good people are there?’ The Lord said, ‘Because of 40 good people, I will not destroy the city.’
30 Then Abraham said, ‘Please do not be angry, Lord. Let me speak again. What will you do if there are only 30 good people there?’ The Lord answered, ‘I will not destroy the city if I find 30 good people there.’
31 Abraham said, ‘I have been brave to speak to you, Lord. What will you do if only 20 good people are there?’ The Lord said, ‘Because of 20 good people, I will not destroy the city.’
32 After all that, Abraham said, ‘Please do not be angry, Lord. Let me speak just one more time. If there are only ten good people there, what will you do?’ The Lord replied, ‘Because of ten good people, I will not destroy the city.’ [ d ]
33 The Lord had finished speaking with Abraham. So he continued on his journey. Abraham returned home.
18 Later, the Lord again appeared to Abraham near the oak trees of Mamre. It was the hottest part of the day, and Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw the men, he ran to them and bowed before them. 3 Abraham said, “Sirs, [ a ] please stay a while with me, your servant. 4 I will bring some water to wash your feet. You can rest under the trees. 5 I will get some food for you, and you can eat as much as you want. Then you can continue your journey.”
The three men said, “Do as you wish.”
6 Abraham hurried to the tent. He said to Sarah, “Quickly, prepare enough flour for three loaves of bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran to his cattle. He took his best young calf and gave it to the servant there. He told the servant to quickly kill the calf and prepare it for food. 8 Abraham brought the meat and some milk and cheese and set them down in front of the three men. Then he stood near the men, ready to serve them while they sat under the tree and ate.
9 Then the men said to Abraham, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
Abraham said, “She is there, in the tent.”
10 Then one of them said, “I will come again in the spring. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was listening in the tent and heard these things. 11 Abraham and Sarah were very old. Sarah was past the right age for women to have children. 12 So she laughed to herself and said, “I am old, and my husband is old. I am too old to have a baby.”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Sarah laughed and said she was too old to have a baby. 14 But is anything too hard for the Lord ? I will come again in the spring, just as I said I would, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
15 Sarah said, “I didn’t laugh!” (She said this because she was afraid.)
Then the Lord said, “No, I know that is not true. You did laugh!”
16 Then the men got up to leave. They looked toward Sodom and began walking in that direction. Abraham walked with them to send them on their way.
17 The Lord said to himself, “Should I tell Abraham what I am going to do now? 18 Abraham will become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on earth will be blessed because of him. 19 I have made a special agreement with him. I did this so that he would command his children and his descendants to live the way the Lord wants them to. I did this so that they would live right and be fair. Then I, the Lord , can give him what I promised.”
20 Then the Lord said, “I have heard many times that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are very evil. 21 I will go and see if they are as bad as I have heard. Then I will know for sure.”
22 So the men turned and started walking toward Sodom while Abraham stood there before the Lord . 23 Then Abraham approached him and asked, “Will you destroy the good people while you are destroying those who are evil? 24 What if there are fifty good people in that city? Will you still destroy it? Surely you will save the city for the fifty good people living there. 25 Surely you would not destroy the city. You would not destroy fifty good people to kill those who are evil. If that happened, those who are good would be the same as those who are evil—both would be punished. As the judge of the whole world, surely you would do the right thing!”
26 Then the Lord said, “If I find fifty good people in the city of Sodom, I will save the whole city.”
27 Then Abraham said, “Compared to you, Lord, I am only dust and ashes. But let me bother you again and ask you this question. 28 What if there are five less than fifty? Will you destroy a whole city because of just five people?”
The Lord said, “If I find forty-five good people there, I will not destroy the city.”
29 Abraham spoke again. He said, “And if you find only forty good people there, will you destroy the city?”
The Lord said, “If I find forty good people, I will not destroy the city.”
30 Then Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me, but let me ask you this. If only thirty good people are in the city, will you destroy it?”
The Lord said, “If I find thirty good people there, I will not destroy the city.”
31 Then Abraham said, “Lord, may I bother you again and ask, what if there are twenty good people?”
The Lord answered, “If I find twenty good people, I will not destroy the city.”
32 Then Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me, but let me bother you this one last time. If you find ten good people there, what will you do?”
The Lord said, “If I find ten good people in the city, I will not destroy it.”
33 The Lord finished speaking to Abraham and left. Then Abraham went back home.
18 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My Lord , if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; 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 unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord ? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18 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 him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord , to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20 And the Lord 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 unto me; and if not, I will know.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord .
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord , which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 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 forty's sake.
30 And he said unto him, 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 unto the Lord : Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for 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 ten's sake.
33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
18 Now ( A ) the Lord appeared to [ a ] Abraham by the [ b ] ( B ) oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he raised his eyes and looked, behold, three ( C ) men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them , he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed down to the ground, 3 and said, “ [ c ] My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not [ d ] pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and ( D ) wash [ e ] your feet, and make yourselves comfortable under the tree; 5 and I will [ f ] ( E ) bring a piece of bread, so that you may [ g ] refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have [ h ] visited your servant.” And they said, “So do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “ [ i ] Quickly, prepare three [ j ] measures of fine flour, knead it , and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and [ k ] choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree [ l ] as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “ ( F ) I will certainly return to you [ m ] at this time next year; and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now ( G ) Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was ( H ) past [ n ] childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed [ o ] to herself, saying, “ ( I ) After I have become old, am I to have pleasure, my ( J ) lord being old also?” 13 But the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child , when I am so old?’ 14 ( K ) Is anything too [ p ] difficult for the Lord ? At the ( L ) appointed time I will return to you, [ q ] at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah denied it , however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
16 Then ( M ) the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 ( N ) The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham ( O ) what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will certainly become a great and [ r ] mighty nation, and in him ( P ) all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have [ s ] ( Q ) chosen him, so that he may ( R ) command his children and his household after him to ( S ) keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham ( T ) what He has spoken about him.” 20 And the Lord said, “ ( U ) The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will ( V ) go down now and see whether they have done entirely as the outcry, which has come to Me indicates ; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then ( W ) the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before ( X ) the Lord . 23 Abraham approached and said, “ ( Y ) Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous people within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not [ t ] spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do [ u ] such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not ( Z ) the Judge of all the earth [ v ] deal justly?” 26 So the Lord said, “ ( AA ) If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will [ w ] spare the entire place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have [ x ] ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am only ( AB ) dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the entire city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Now behold, I have [ y ] ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “ ( AC ) Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once: suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham ( AD ) the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham ( A ) near the great trees of Mamre ( B ) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent ( C ) in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up ( D ) and saw three men ( E ) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. ( F )
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, ( G ) my lord, [ a ] do not pass your servant ( H ) by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet ( I ) and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, ( J ) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs [ b ] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” ( K )
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf ( L ) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds ( M ) and milk ( N ) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. ( O ) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” ( P ) they asked him.
“There, in the tent, ( Q ) ” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, ( R ) and Sarah your wife will have a son.” ( S )
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, ( T ) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ( U ) 12 So Sarah laughed ( V ) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord ( W ) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ( X ) 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord ? ( Y ) I will return to you at the appointed time next year, ( Z ) and Sarah will have a son.” ( AA )
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
16 When the men ( AB ) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham ( AC ) what I am about to do? ( AD ) 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, ( AE ) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. [ c ] 19 For I have chosen him ( AF ) , so that he will direct his children ( AG ) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord ( AH ) by doing what is right and just, ( AI ) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” ( AJ )
20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom ( AK ) and Gomorrah is so great ( AL ) and their sin so grievous ( AM ) 21 that I will go down ( AN ) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22 The men ( AO ) turned away and went toward Sodom, ( AP ) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord . [ d ] ( AQ ) 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ( AR ) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare [ e ] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ( AS ) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing ( AT ) —to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous ( AU ) and the wicked alike. ( AV ) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge ( AW ) of all the earth do right?” ( AX )
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. ( AY ) ”
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, ( AZ ) 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, ( BA ) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. ( BB ) What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, ( BC ) I will not destroy it.”
33 When the Lord had finished speaking ( BD ) with Abraham, he left, ( BE ) and Abraham returned home. ( BF )
