Genesis 18:1–22

A Son Promised to Abraham and Sarah

¹⁸The Lord appeared to Abraham^e by the oaks^f of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.^{* 2}He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them and bowed down to the ground.^{* 3}He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. ⁴Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.^{* 5}Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”^{* 6}And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, “Make ready quickly three measures^g of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” ⁷Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. ⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.^*

⁹They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.^{* 11}Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.^{* 12}So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I be fruitful?”^{* 13}The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.”^{* 15}But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Judgment Pronounced on Sodom

¹⁶Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. ¹⁷The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?^{h* 19}No, for I have chosenⁱ him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”^{* 20}Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!^{* 21}I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me, and if not, I will know.”^*

²²So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^j*