18:1 And the LORD appeared to him in the plains of Mamre: and he
sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
18:2 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,
18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight,
pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be brought, and wash your
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
18:5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your
hearts; after that you shall pass on: for therefore are ye come
to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Make
ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make
cakes upon the hearth.
18:7 And Abraham ran to the herd, and brought a calf tender and
good, and gave [it] to a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
18:8 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.
18:9 And they said to him, Where [is] Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent.
18:10 And he said, I will certainly return to 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.
18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah [were] old [and] far advanced in
age; [and] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of
women.
18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am
become old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
18:13 And the LORD said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying,
Shall I certainly bear a child, who am old?
18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed
I will return to thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah
shall have a son.
18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom:
and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do;
18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty
nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in
him?
18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they will 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.
18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah
is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me; and
if not, I will know.
18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went
towards Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy
the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city:
wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous that [are] in it?
18:25 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?
18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous
within the city, then I will spare all the place for their
sakes.
18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I, who [am]
dust and ashes, have taken upon me to speak to the LORD.
18:28 Peradventure there will 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].
18:29 And he spoke to him yet again, and said, Peradventure
there will be forty found there. And he said, I will not do
[it] for forty's sake.
18:30 And he said, Oh, let not the LORD be angry, and I will
speak: Peradventure there will thirty be found there. And he
said, I will not do [it], if I find thirty there.
18:31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to
the LORD: Peradventure there will be twenty found there. And he
said, I will not destroy [it] for twenty's sake.
18:32 And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will
speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten will be found there.
And he said, I will not destroy [it] for ten's sake.
18:33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left
communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.
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