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 appears to him among the oaks of Mamre, and he is sitting at the opening of the tent, about 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 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,
3 And he said, Lord, if indeed I have found grace in your sight, pass not by your servant.
and he says, “My Lord, if now I have found grace in Your eyes, please do not pass on from Your servant;
4 Let water now be brought, and let them wash your feet, and do you refresh [yourselves] under the tree.
please let a little water be accepted, and wash Your feet, and recline 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 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.”
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 hurries toward the tent, to Sarah, and says, “Hurry three measures of flour-meal, knead, and make cakes”;
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 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;
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 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.
9 And he said to him, Where is Sarrha your wife? And he answered and said, Behold! in the tent.
And they say to him, “Where [is] Sarah your wife?” And he says, “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 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;
11 And Abraam and Sarrha were old, advanced in days, and the custom of women ceased with Sarrha.
and Abraham and Sarah [are] aged, entering into days—the way of women has ceased to be to Sarah;
12 And Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.
and Sarah laughs in her heart, saying, “After I have waxed old have I had pleasure? My lord [is] also old!”
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 says to Abraham, “Why [is] this? Sarah has laughed, saying, Is it really true—I bear—and I am aged?
14 Shall anything be impossible with the Lord? At this time I will return to you seasonably, and Sarrha shall have a son.
Is anything too wonderful for YHWH? At the appointed time I return to you, about the time of life, and Sarah has 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.
And Sarah denies, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she has been afraid; and He says, “No, but you did 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 rise from there, and look on the face of Sodom, and Abraham is going with them to send them away;
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraam my servant what things I intend to do?
and YHWH said, “Am I concealing from Abraham that which I am doing,
18 But Abraam shall become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blest.
and Abraham certainly becomes a great and mighty nation, and blessed in him have been all nations of the earth?
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 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.”
20 And the Lord said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great.
And YHWH says, “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah—because great; and their sin—because exceedingly 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 go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming to Me they have done completely—and if not—I know”;
22 And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord.
and the men turn from there, and go toward Sodom; and Abraham is yet standing 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 draws near and says, “Do You also consume righteous with 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?
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?
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?
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?”
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 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.”
27 And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes.
And Abraham answers and says, “Now behold, I have willed to speak to the Lord, and I [am] 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.
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.”
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 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.”
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 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.”
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 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.”
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 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.”
33 And the Lord departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.
And YHWH goes on, when He has finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham has turned back to his place.
