Genesis 18
1And
the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2And 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,
3And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray
thee, from thy servant:
4Let a little water,
I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5And 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.
6And 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.
7And
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.
8And 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.
9And
they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10And 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.
11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the
manner of women.
12Therefore Sarah laughed
within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of
a surety bear a child, which am old?
14Is
any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall
have a son.
15Then Sarah denied, saying, I
laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them
on the way.
17And the LORD said, Shall I hide
from Abraham that thing which I do;
18Seeing
that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19For 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 hath
spoken of him.
20And the LORD said, Because
the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21I 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.
22And
the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the
wicked?
24Peradventure there be fifty righteous
within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25That 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?
26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty
righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am
but dust and ashes:
28Peradventure 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.
29And 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.
30And he said unto him, 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.
31And 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 twenty's
sake.
32And 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 ten's
sake.
33And the LORD went his way, as soon
as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.