The Genesis
Chapter
18
1 God [next] appeared to [AbraHam] around noon, as he was sitting at the entrance to his tent by the big tree at MamRe. 2 For when he looked up, he saw three men standing in front of him. And when he noticed them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them, bowing all the way to the ground. 3 Then he said: 'Lords; If I have indeed found favor in your sight, don't pass your servant by. 4 [I'll have] water brought and [my servants] will wash your feet. You just rest here under this tree. 5 I will also bring some bread for you to eat, and then you can continue your journey… allow your servant to offer you some refreshment.' And they replied, 'You may do as you have said.'
6 So AbraHam ran back to SarAh (who was in the tent) and said to her, 'Hurry… knead three scoops of fine flour and make [some bread].'
7 Then AbraHam ran to the pens, where he took a young calf (a nice, tender one) and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 Next, he got some butter, some milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set it all out before them… and they ate as he stood near them under the tree.
9 Then the Lord asked: 'Where is your woman, SarAh?' And [AbraHam] replied: 'Look, she's there in the tent!'
10 So the Lord said: 'I will return this way and come to see you during this season [next year], and your woman SarAh will have a son.' Well, SarAh overheard this as she stood behind him at the entrance of the tent. 11 And because AbraHam and SarAh were old, and SarAh was [well beyond the age of child bearing], she laughed inside herself, saying, 12 'This hasn't happened to me [in the past]… and now my lord is [too] old!'
13 And at that, the Lord asked AbraHam: 'Why is SarAh laughing inside herself and asking, Will I give birth? I'm already old. 14 Is there anything that is impossible for Jehovah? I will return to you [next year] in this season, and SarAh will have a son!'
15 However, SarAh denied it, saying, 'I didn't laugh' (she said this because she was afraid). And the Lord replied, 'Oh, but you did laugh.'
16 Then the men got up and headed toward Sodom and GomorRah; and AbraHam traveled along with them to assist in their journey.
17 And then the Lord asked: 'Shall I hide the things that I'm about to do from my servant AbraHam? 18 For, AbraHam will become a great and highly populated nation through whom all the nations of the earth will be blest, 19 because I know that he will order his sons and the house that is to come from him to keep the ways of Jehovah… to be righteous and just, so that Jehovah can bring all the things to AbraHam that He has promised.'
20 Then the Lord said: 'The cries that I'm hearing about Sodom and GomorRah keep growing, and their sins are very bad. 21 So I'm going down to see if they are as bad as the cries that I'm hearing have said. And if not, at least I will know [for sure].' 22 So the men departed for Sodom. However, AbraHam was still there in the Lord's presence. 23 So AbraHam went up to him and asked: 'Are you going to destroy the righteous along with the wicked, treating the righteous as though they were wicked? 24 Why, if there are fifty righteous [people] in the city, will you destroy them? Wouldn't you spare the whole place if there were fifty righteous [people] there? 25 You would never do such a thing as to destroy the righteous along with the wicked and treat the righteous as though they were wicked… no way! Won't you, the judge of the whole earth, do what is right?'
26 And the Lord said: 'If there are fifty righteous [people] in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole city and the whole place for their sakes.'
27 Then AbraHam continued: 'My Lord; Here I am speaking to you, and all I am is dirt and ashes. 28 However, what if there weren't fifty righteous [people] and there were only forty-five. Would you destroy the whole city because of the lack of five?' And the Lord said: 'I won't destroy it if I can find forty-five there.'
29 However, [AbraHam] just kept talking to him and said: 'What if there were only forty? 30 Would you not destroy it for the sake of the forty?' And he went on, 'Lord, please don't hold it against me if I continue to speak; but, what if there were thirty?' And the Lord replied: 'I won't destroy it for the sake of thirty.'
31 So he said: 'Since I am allowed to speak to [my] Lord; What if you can only find twenty?' And he said: 'I won't destroy it if I can only find twenty.'
32 Finally, he said: 'Lord; Would you hold it against me if I were to say just one more thing? What if you were to find just ten [righteous people]?' And he replied: 'I won't destroy it for the sake of the ten.'
33 Then the Lord stopped speaking to AbraHam and left, and AbraHam returned to his [tent].
6 So AbraHam ran back to SarAh (who was in the tent) and said to her, 'Hurry… knead three scoops of fine flour and make [some bread].'
7 Then AbraHam ran to the pens, where he took a young calf (a nice, tender one) and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 Next, he got some butter, some milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set it all out before them… and they ate as he stood near them under the tree.
9 Then the Lord asked: 'Where is your woman, SarAh?' And [AbraHam] replied: 'Look, she's there in the tent!'
10 So the Lord said: 'I will return this way and come to see you during this season [next year], and your woman SarAh will have a son.' Well, SarAh overheard this as she stood behind him at the entrance of the tent. 11 And because AbraHam and SarAh were old, and SarAh was [well beyond the age of child bearing], she laughed inside herself, saying, 12 'This hasn't happened to me [in the past]… and now my lord is [too] old!'
13 And at that, the Lord asked AbraHam: 'Why is SarAh laughing inside herself and asking, Will I give birth? I'm already old. 14 Is there anything that is impossible for Jehovah? I will return to you [next year] in this season, and SarAh will have a son!'
15 However, SarAh denied it, saying, 'I didn't laugh' (she said this because she was afraid). And the Lord replied, 'Oh, but you did laugh.'
16 Then the men got up and headed toward Sodom and GomorRah; and AbraHam traveled along with them to assist in their journey.
17 And then the Lord asked: 'Shall I hide the things that I'm about to do from my servant AbraHam? 18 For, AbraHam will become a great and highly populated nation through whom all the nations of the earth will be blest, 19 because I know that he will order his sons and the house that is to come from him to keep the ways of Jehovah… to be righteous and just, so that Jehovah can bring all the things to AbraHam that He has promised.'
20 Then the Lord said: 'The cries that I'm hearing about Sodom and GomorRah keep growing, and their sins are very bad. 21 So I'm going down to see if they are as bad as the cries that I'm hearing have said. And if not, at least I will know [for sure].' 22 So the men departed for Sodom. However, AbraHam was still there in the Lord's presence. 23 So AbraHam went up to him and asked: 'Are you going to destroy the righteous along with the wicked, treating the righteous as though they were wicked? 24 Why, if there are fifty righteous [people] in the city, will you destroy them? Wouldn't you spare the whole place if there were fifty righteous [people] there? 25 You would never do such a thing as to destroy the righteous along with the wicked and treat the righteous as though they were wicked… no way! Won't you, the judge of the whole earth, do what is right?'
26 And the Lord said: 'If there are fifty righteous [people] in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole city and the whole place for their sakes.'
27 Then AbraHam continued: 'My Lord; Here I am speaking to you, and all I am is dirt and ashes. 28 However, what if there weren't fifty righteous [people] and there were only forty-five. Would you destroy the whole city because of the lack of five?' And the Lord said: 'I won't destroy it if I can find forty-five there.'
29 However, [AbraHam] just kept talking to him and said: 'What if there were only forty? 30 Would you not destroy it for the sake of the forty?' And he went on, 'Lord, please don't hold it against me if I continue to speak; but, what if there were thirty?' And the Lord replied: 'I won't destroy it for the sake of thirty.'
31 So he said: 'Since I am allowed to speak to [my] Lord; What if you can only find twenty?' And he said: 'I won't destroy it if I can only find twenty.'
32 Finally, he said: 'Lord; Would you hold it against me if I were to say just one more thing? What if you were to find just ten [righteous people]?' And he replied: 'I won't destroy it for the sake of the ten.'
33 Then the Lord stopped speaking to AbraHam and left, and AbraHam returned to his [tent].
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