Genesis 18
1 And Jehovah appeared unto 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 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 said, My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I
pray thee, from thy servant:
4 let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves
under the tree:
5 and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen 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 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 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 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 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 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 laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have
pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of
a surety bear a child, who am old?
14 Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee,
when the season cometh round, 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 Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that 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 have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his
household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness
and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath
spoken of him.
20 And Jehovah 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 from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet
before Jehovah.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the
wicked?
24 Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume 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, 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 Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I
will spare all the place for their sake.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto
the Lord, who 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, I will not destroy it, if I find
there forty and five.
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 the forty's sake.
30 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, 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, 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 Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham:
and Abraham returned unto his place.