Genesis 18:22–33

²²The men^p turned away and went toward Sodom,^q but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{dr 23}Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{s 24}What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^e the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?^{t 25}Far be it from you to do such a thing^u—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous^v and the wicked alike.^w Far be it from you! Will not the Judge^x of all the earth do right?”^y

²⁶The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.^z”

²⁷Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,^{a 28}what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

²⁹Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

³⁰Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,^b but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³²Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.^c What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,^d I will not destroy it.”

³³When the Lord had finished speaking^e with Abraham, he left,^f and Abraham returned home.^g