Genesis 18
1 And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon.
And YHWH appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and 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.
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 he said, Lord, if indeed I have found grace in your sight, pass not by your servant.
And said, YHWH, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let water now be brought, and let them wash your feet, and do you refresh [yourselves] under the tree.
Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and 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.
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 Abraam hasted to the tent to Sarrha, and said to her, Hasten, and knead three measures of fine flour, 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 upon the hearth.
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.
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 he set them before them, and they did eat, and he stood by them under the tree.
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 he said to him, Where is Sarrha your wife? And he answered and said, Behold! in the tent.
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, 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.
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 And Abraam and Sarrha were old, advanced in days, and the custom of women ceased with Sarrha.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 And Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my master 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.
And YHWH said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which 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 any thing too hard for YHWH? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall 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, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst 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.
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 Abraam my servant what things I intend to do?
And YHWH said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18 But Abraam shall become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blest.
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 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 know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of YHWH, to do justice and judgment; that YHWH may bring upon Abraham that which he hath 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.
And YHWH 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 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 having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord.
And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before YHWH.
23 And Abraam drew near and said, Wouldest you destroy the righteous with the wicked, and shall the righteous be as the wicked?
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy 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?
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 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?
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 there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes.
And YHWH said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes.
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto YHWH, which am but 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.
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 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.
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, 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.
And he said unto him, Oh let not YHWH 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, 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.
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto YHWH: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for 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.
And he said, Oh let not YHWH 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 departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.
And YHWH went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
