Genesis 18
18
1And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre (firmness; fatling (fat cattle) offering): and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3And said, My Lord-Adonai [The Father] (Greatest Above All), if now I have found favour in youri sight, pass not away, I pray youi, from youri servant:
4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash yourf feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort you1sf yourf hearts; after that you1sf shall pass on: for therefore are you1sf come to yourf servant. And they said, So do, as youi have said.
6And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] hastened into the tent unto Sarah [Princess], and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave [it] unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8And 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 they did eat.
9And they said unto him, Where [is] Sarah [Princess] youri wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10And he said, I will certainly return unto youi according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah [Princess] youri wife shall have a son. And Sarah [Princess] heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him.
11Now Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] and Sarah [Princess] [were] old [and] well stricken in age; [and] it ceased to be with Sarah [Princess] after the manner of women.
12Therefore Sarah [Princess] laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], For what reason did Sarah [Princess] laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14Is anything too hard for the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate)? At the time appointed I will return unto youi, according to the time of life, and Sarah [Princess] shall have a son.
15Then Sarah [Princess] denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, No; but youi did laugh.
16And the men rose up from there, and looked toward S’dom (burning, denotes penal constrictions around the ankles): and Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] went with them to bring them on the way.
17And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said, Shall I hide from Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] that thing which I do;
18Seeing that Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be Blessed (Favored by God; happy; prosperous) in him?
19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate), to do justice and judgment; that the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) may bring upon Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] that which he has spoken of him.
20And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said, Because the cry of S’dom (burning, denotes penal constrictions around the ankles) and ‘Amora (submersion, Tyrants, bind sheaves, People of Fear) is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21I will go down 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.
22And the men turned their faces from there, and went toward S’dom (burning, denotes penal constrictions around the ankles): but Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] stood yet before the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate).
23And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] drew near, and said, Will youi also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24Perhaps there be fifty righteous within the city: will youi also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that [are] in it?
25That be far from youi 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 youi: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said, If I find in S’dom (burning, denotes penal constrictions around the ankles) fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord-Adonai (Greatest Above All) GOD-Yehōvih [THE FATHER], which [am but] dust and ashes:
28Perhaps there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: will youi destroy all the city for [lack of] five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy [it].
29And he spoke unto him yet again, and said, Perhaps there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do [it] for forty’s sake.
30And he said [unto him], Oh let not the Lord-Adonai (The Father) [Greatest Above All] be angry, and I will speak: Perhaps there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do [it], if I find thirty there.
31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord-Adonai (Greatest Above All) GOD-Yehōvih [THE FATHER]: Perhaps there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for twenty’s sake.
32And he said, Oh let not the Lord-Adonai (Greatest Above All) GOD-Yehōvih [THE FATHER] be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Perhaps ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for ten’s sake.
33And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will]: and Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] returned unto his place.
Text copyright © 2000-2018 TOV Rose
For more information about the NMV, details about why the names of God are notated and translated as they are, or to learn about the special markings and translations used in this text, click below.
Follow the instructions and you will receive the free e-book by email.
Genesis 18
18
A Son is Promised to Abraham
1The LORD appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day, 2#Heb 13.2he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground, 3he said, “Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honoured me by coming to my home, so let me serve you.”
They replied, “Thank you; we accept.”
6Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread.” 7Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready. 8He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate.
9Then they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
“She is there in the tent,” he answered.
10 # Rom 9.9 One of them said, “Nine months from now#18.10 Nine months from now; or This time next year. I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12#1 Pet 3.6So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too.”
13Then the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?’ 14#Lk 1.37Is anything too hard for the LORD? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
15Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. “I didn't laugh,” she said.
“Yes, you did,” he replied. “You laughed.”
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16Then the men left and went to a place where they could look down at Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17And the LORD said to himself, “I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations.#18.18 through… nations; or all the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed him. 19I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised.”
20Then the LORD said to Abraham, “There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true.”
22Then the two men left and went on towards Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham. 23Abraham approached the LORD and asked, “Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24If there are fifty innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city? Won't you spare it in order to save the fifty? 25Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly.”
26The LORD answered, “If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”
27Abraham spoke again: “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything. 28But perhaps there will be only 45 innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?”
The LORD answered, “I will not destroy the city if I find 45 innocent people.”
29Abraham spoke again: “Perhaps there will be only forty.”
He replied, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.”
30Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, but I must speak again. What if there are only thirty?”
He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty.”
31Abraham said, “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. Suppose that only twenty are found?”
He said, “I will not destroy the city if I find twenty.”
32Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak just once more. What if only ten are found?”
He said, “I will not destroy it if there are ten.” 33After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the LORD went away, and Abraham returned home.
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.