Genesis 18

1 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^a he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and, when he saw them, he ^bran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

3 And said, My Lord,⁵ 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,⁶ and rest yourselves under the tree;

5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort⁷ ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: ^cfor therefore are ye come⁸ to your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said.⁹

6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready¹ quickly ^dthree measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf ^etender 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 ^fthey did eat.²

9 ¶ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And he ^gsaid, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life;³ and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent-door, which was behind him.

11 Now ^hAbraham 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, ⁱAfter 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^k 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 ^ldenied, 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, ^mShall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and ⁿall the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For ^oI know him, that he ^pwill ⁴command 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 ^qthe cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

21 I will ^rgo down⁵ 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 men⁶ turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham ^sstood yet before the LORD.

23 ¶ And Abraham drew near, and said, ^tWilt 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^t 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, ^uIf 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, ^xBehold 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, ^uIf 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, ^yI will not do it for forty's sake.

30 And he said unto him, ^yOh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I^y will not do it if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, ^zBehold 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 twenty's sake.

32 And he said, ^yOh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: ^aPeradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

33 And² the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.³