Genesis 18

TKJU^{(i) 1} And the LORD appeared to 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 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 favor in your sight, do not pass on by, I implore you, from your servant: ⁴ Let a little water, I implore you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: ⁵ And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort your hearts; after that you shall pass on: For such a reason you have come to your servant. And they said, "So do, as you have said." ⁶ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly make ready three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth." ⁷ And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to a young man; and he hastened 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 ate. ⁹ And they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "Behold, in the tent." ¹⁰ And he said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah your 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 to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed truly bear a child, who am old?' ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." ¹⁵ Then Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No; but you did laugh." ¹⁶ And the men rose up from there, 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 am doing; 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 has 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 without exception done according to the cry of it, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know." ²² And the men turned their faces from there, and went toward Sodom: But Abraham still stood before the LORD. ²³ And Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: Will you also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do hurt in this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: And that the righteous should be as the wicked, far be it from You: Shall the Judge of all the earth not 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 myself to speak to the LORD, who am but dust and ashes: ²⁸ Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: Will You destroy all the city for lack of five?" And He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it." ²⁹ And he spoke to 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 to Him, "Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall be thirty 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 myself to speak to the LORD: Peradventure twenty shall be 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 yet speak 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 off communing with Abraham: And Abraham returned to his place.