Genesis 18
18
Isaac’s Birth Foretold
1The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great oak trees of Mamre # Ge 13:18; 14:13 while he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. # Ge 18:22; Heb 13:2 When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself toward the ground. # Ge 19:1
3He said, “My Lord, if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. 4Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. # Ge 19:2; 43:24 5I will bring a piece of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. # Jdg 13:15 After that you may pass on, now that you have come to your servant.”
And they said, “So do, as you have said.”
6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three measures # 18:6 Likely about 36 pounds, or 16 kilograms. of fine flour, knead it, and make cakes.”
7Then Abraham ran to the herd and took a choice and tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8He then brought butter 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. # Ge 19:3
9They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
And he said, “There, in the tent.”
10One of them said, “I will certainly return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” # Ge 17:19, 21; 21:2
And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and very advanced in age, and Sarah was well past childbearing. # Ge 17:17; Heb 11:11–12 12Therefore Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am so old and my lord is old also, shall I have pleasure?” # Ge 17:17; 1Pe 3:6
13Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I surely bear a child when I am old?’ 14Is anything too difficult for the Lord? # Jer 32:17; Zec 8:6; Mt 19:26 At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
15Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid.
But He said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Sodom and Gomorrah
16Then the men rose up and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to see them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am doing, # Ps 25:14; Am 3:7 18since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? # Ge 26:4; Gal 3:8 19I chose him, and he will instruct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, # Dt 4:9–10; 6:6–7 so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He promised him.”
20Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, # Ge 4:10; 19:13 21I will go down # Ge 11:5; Ex 3:8 and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has come to Me. If not, I will know.”
22The men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, # Ge 19:1 but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23Then Abraham drew near and said, “Shall You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? # Nu 16:22; 2Sa 24:17 24What if there are fifty righteous in the city? Shall You also destroy, and not spare the place, for the fifty righteous who are in it? # Jer 5:1 25Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be treated like the wicked; far be it from You. Should not the Judge of all the earth do right?” # Job 8:3, 20
26So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the entire place for their sakes.”
27Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I who am but dust and ashes # Ge 3:19 have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord. 28Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous. Will You destroy all the city for lack of five?”
And He said, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”
29And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there will be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30Then he said to Him, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose there will be thirty found there?”
Again He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there?”
He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. # Jdg 6:39 Suppose ten will be found there?”
Then He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
33So the Lord went His way as soon as He had stopped speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
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Genesis 18: MEV
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version
Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.
Genesis 18
18
Birth of Isaac Promised
1Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth trees of Mamre [in Hebron], while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2When he raised his eyes and looked up, behold, three men were standing [a little distance] from him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed down [with his face] to the ground, 3and Abraham said, “My #18:3 At some point during this encounter, Abraham understood that one of the three men was actually God appearing as a man (or as an angel; cf note 16:7), and he addressed Him as such in v 14. Verse 13 confirms that it was the Lord who spoke to him. The other two men were angels.lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass by your servant [without stopping to visit]. 4Please let a little water be brought [by one of my servants] and [you may] wash your feet, and recline and rest comfortably under the tree. 5And I will bring a piece of bread to refresh and sustain #18:5 Lit your heart.you; after that you may go on, since you have come to your servant.” And they replied, “Do as you have said.” 6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, get ready three #18:6 Heb seim, plural of seah; since one seah equals about nine quarts, this was a large quantity. However, Abraham was asking Sarah to make cakes of bread which actually could be baked quickly because they were similar to pizza dough, that is, large, round, and flat. Together with the other food that Abraham provided (vv 7, 8), his promise of “a piece of bread” in v 5 was greatly understated, and the generous meal reflected the respect that he held for his special visitors.measures of fine meal, knead it and bake cakes.” 7Abraham also ran to the herd and brought a calf, tender and choice, and he gave it to the servant [to butcher], and he hurried to prepare it. 8Then he took #18:8 Or sour milk, or perhaps butter. It may have served as a kind of condiment for the bread.curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before the men; and he stood beside them under the tree while they ate.
9Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10He said, “I will surely return to you at this #18:10 Lit when the time revives. Some regard this as a reference to springtime. Others think it means “the time when the life is ready.”time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. [Rom 9:9-12] 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; she was past [the age of] childbearing. 12So Sarah laughed to herself [when she heard the Lord’s words], saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband) being also old?” [1 Pet 3:6] 13And the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh [to herself], saying, ‘Shall I really give birth [to a child] when I am so old?’ 14Is anything too difficult or too wonderful for the #18:14 The divine Hebrew name YHWH (Yahweh), usually represented by “Lord,” occurs more than 5,000 times in the Bible.Lord? At the appointed time, when the season [for her delivery] comes, I will return to you and Sarah will have a son.” [Matt 19:26] 15Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh”; because she was afraid. And He (the Lord) said, “No, but you did laugh.”
16Then the men got up from there, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham walked with them to send them on the way. 17The Lord said, “Shall I keep secret from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do, [Gal 3:8] 18since Abraham #18:18 Lit will surely.is destined to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him? [Gen 12:2, 3] 19For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and [the sons of] his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is righteous and just, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has promised him.” 20And the Lord said, “The outcry [of the sin] of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21I will go down now, and see whether they have acted [as vilely and wickedly] as the outcry which has come to Me [indicates]; and if not, I will know.”
22Now the [two] men (angelic beings) turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23Abraham approached [the Lord] and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous (those who do right) with the wicked (those who do evil)? 24Suppose there are fifty righteous [people] within the city; will You really sweep it away and not spare it for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25Far be it from You to do #18:25 Lit according to this word.such a thing—to strike the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right [by executing just and righteous judgment]?” 26So the Lord said, “If I find within the city of Sodom fifty righteous [people], then I will spare the entire place for their sake.” 27Abraham answered, “Now behold, I who am but dust [in origin] and ashes have decided to speak to the Lord. [Gen 3:19; Job 30:19] 28If five of the fifty righteous are lacking, will You destroy the entire city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find [at least] forty-five [righteous people] there, I will not destroy it.” 29Abraham spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose [only] forty are found there.” And He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty [who are righteous].” 30Then Abraham said [to Him], “Oh, may the Lord not be angry, and I will speak; suppose thirty [righteous people] are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31And he said, “Now behold, I have decided to speak to the Lord [again]. Suppose [only] twenty [righteous people] are found there?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.” 32Then Abraham said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry [with me], and I will speak only this once; suppose ten [righteous people] are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” 33As soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his own place.
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