And
the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent
door in the heat of the day;
2 And 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,
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in
thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and
wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And 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.
6 And 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.
7 And 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.
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 did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy
wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And 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.
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 unto Abraham, Wherefore did
Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is 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.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for
she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16 And the men rose up from thence, 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 do;
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 hath 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
done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if
not, I will know.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and
went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also
destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the
city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous that are therein?
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?
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 me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and
ashes:
28 Peradventure 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.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said,
Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it
for fortys sake.
30 And 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.
31 And 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 twentys sake.
32 And 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 tens sake.
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had
left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.