Genesis 18:1–22

And the Lord appeared to him in the vale of Mambre as he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day.

²And when he had lifted up his eyes, there appeared to him three men standing near to him: and as soon as he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and adored down to the ground.

³And he said: Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away from thy servant.

⁴But I will fetch a little water, and wash ye your feet, and rest ye under the tree.

⁵And I will set a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart, afterwards you shall pass on: for therefore are you come aside to your servant. And they said: Do as thou hast spoken.

⁶Abraham made haste into the tent to Sara, and said to her: Make haste, temper together three measures of flour, and make cakes upon the hearth.

⁷And he himself ran to the herd, and took from thence a calf, very tender and very good, and gave it to a young man, who made haste and boiled it.

⁸He took also butter and milk, and the calf which he had boiled, and set before them: but he stood by them under the tree.

⁹And when they had eaten, they said to him: Where is Sara thy wife? He answered: Lo she is in the tent.

¹⁰And he said to him: I will return and come to thee at this time, life accompanying, and Sara, thy wife, shall have a son. Which when Sara heard, she laughed behind the door of the tent.

¹¹Now they were both old, and far advanced in years, and it had ceased to be with Sara after the manner of women.

¹²And she laughed secretly, saying: After I am grown old, and my lord is an old man, shall I give myself to pleasure?

¹³And the Lord said to Abraham: Why did Sara laugh, saying: Shall I, who am an old woman, bear a child indeed?

¹⁴Is there any thing hard to God? According to appointment I will return to thee at this same time, life accompanying, and Sara shall have a son.

¹⁵Sara denied, saying: I did not laugh: for she was afraid. But the Lord said: Nay; but thou didst laugh.

¹⁶And when the men rose up from thence, they turned their eyes towards Sodom: and Abraham walked with them, bringing them on the way.

¹⁷And the Lord said: Can I hide from Abraham what I am about to do:

¹⁸Seeing he shall become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed?

¹⁹For I know that he will command his children, and his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord, and do judgment and justice: that for Abraham’s sake, the Lord may bring to effect all the things he hath spoken unto him.

²⁰And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous.

²¹I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come to me; or whether it be not so, that I may know.

²²And they turned themselves from thence, and went their way to Sodom: but Abraham as yet stood before the Lord.