Genesis 18

CHAPTER 18

Yahweh Appears to Abraham

¹Then ^aYahweh appeared to him by the ^1boaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.

²And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three ^amen were standing nearby; he saw, and he ran from the tent door to meet them, and he bowed himself to the earth,

³and he said, “¹My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not ²pass Your servant by.

⁴“Please let a little water be brought and ^awash your feet, and ¹rest yourselves under the tree;

⁵and let me ^1abring a piece of bread, that you may ²refresh your hearts; after that you may pass on, since in such a manner you have passed by your servant.” And they said, “So you shall do, as you have said.”

⁶So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “¹Hurry, prepare ²three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.”

⁷Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender and ¹choice calf and gave it to his young man, and he hurried to prepare it.

⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree, and they ate.

⁹Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”

¹⁰And He said, “^aI will surely return to you ¹at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door which was behind him.

¹¹Now ^aAbraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was ^bpast ¹childbearing.

¹²And Sarah laughed ¹to herself, saying, “^aAfter I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my ^blord being old also?”

¹³And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed ¹bear a son, when I am so old?’

¹⁴“^aIs anything too ¹difficult for Yahweh? At the ^bappointed time I will return to you, ²at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵Then Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Yahweh and Abraham Speak About Sodom

¹⁶Then ^athe men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off.

^17aNow Yahweh said, “Shall I conceal from Abraham ^bwhat I am about to do,

¹⁸since Abraham will surely become a great and ¹mighty nation, and in him ^aall the nations of the earth will be blessed?

¹⁹“For I have ^1aknown him, so that he may ^bcommand his children and his household after him, ^cthat they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham ^dwhat He has spoken about him.”

²⁰So Yahweh said, “^aThe outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.

²¹“I will ^ago down now and see whether they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

²²Then ^athe men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before ^bYahweh.

²³Then Abraham came near and said, “^aWill You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

²⁴“Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not ¹spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?

²⁵“Far be it from You to do ¹such a thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not ^athe Judge of all the earth do justice?”

²⁶So Yahweh said, “^aIf I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will ¹spare the whole place on their account.”

²⁷And Abraham answered and said, “Now behold, I have ¹ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but ^adust and ashes.

²⁸“Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

²⁹Then he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.”

³⁰Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹And he said, “Now behold, I have ¹ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.”

³²Then he said, “^aOh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”

³³And as soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham, ^aYahweh departed, and Abraham returned to his place.