And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at
the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes
and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.
When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed
himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in
your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be
brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,
while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves,
and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your
servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went
quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of
fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd
and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who
prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that
he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under
the tree while they ate.
They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She
is in the tent.” The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about
this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And
Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and
Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to
be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am
worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The LORD said
to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a
child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At
the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year,
and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did
not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward
Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The
LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing
that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all
the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen
him, that he may command his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so
that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Then
the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is
great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether
they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to
me. And if not, I will know.”
So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham
still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will
you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there
are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the
place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far
be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death
with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be
that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is
just?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in
the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to
the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty
righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of
five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five
there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found
there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then
he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose
thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find
thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the
Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake
of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the
Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten
are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not
destroy it.” And the LORD went his way, when he had finished
speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
