Genesis 18

CHAPTER 18

1Forsooth in the valley of Mamre the Lord appeared to Abraham, sitting in the door of his tabernacle, in that heat of the day.

2And when Abraham had raised up his eyes, three men appeared to him, and stood nigh [to] him. And when he had seen them, he ran from the door of his tabernacle into the meeting of them, and he worshipped on [the] earth,

3and said, Lord, if I have found grace in thine eyes, pass thou not thy servant,

4but I shall bring a little water, and your feet be washed, and rest ye under the tree;

5and I shall set before you a morsel of bread, and your heart be comforted; afterward ye shall pass [forth]; for therefore be ye bowed aside to your servant. Which said, Do thou as thou hast spoken.

6Abraham hasted into the tabernacle, to Sarah, and said to her, Haste thou, mix three half bushels of clean flour; and make thou loaves baken under ashes.

7Forsooth he ran to the drove of beasts, and took thereof a calf most tender and best, and gave to a servant, which hasted, and seethed the calf;

8and he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had sodden, and set before them; forsooth Abraham stood beside them under the tree. And when they had eaten,

9they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? He answered, Lo! she is in the tabernacle.

10To whom the Lord said, I shall turn again, and I shall come to thee in this time, if I live; and Sarah, thy wife, shall have a son. When this was heard, Sarah laughed behind the door of the tabernacle.

11Forsooth both were old, and of great age, and woman’s terms ceased to be made to Sarah.

12And she laughed, saying privily, After that I waxed eld [or old], and my lord is eld [or old], shall I give diligence [or busyness] to lust?

13Forsooth the Lord said to Abraham, Why laughed Sarah, thy wife, saying, Whether I an eld [or old] woman shall bear a child verily?

14whether anything is hard to God? By the promise I shall turn again to thee in this same time, if I live; and Sarah shall have a son.

15Sarah was afeared for dread, and denied, saying, I laughed not. Forsooth the Lord said, It is not so, but thou laughedest.

16Therefore when the men had risen from thence, they dressed the eyes against Sodom; and Abraham went together, leading them forth.

17And the Lord said, Whether I may cover from Abraham what things I shall do,

18since he shall be into a great folk and most strong, and all nations of [the] earth shall be blessed in him?

19For I know that Abraham shall command his children, and his house after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, and that they do rightfulness [or rightwiseness] and doom, that the Lord bring for Abraham all things which he spake to Abraham.

20And so the Lord said, The cry of men of Sodom and of men of Gomorrah is multiplied, and their sin is egregious greatly;

21I shall come down, and see whether they have [ful] filled in work the cry that came to me, that I know whether it is not so.

22And they turned them[selves] from thence, and went to Sodom. Abraham soothly stood yet before the Lord,

23and nighed, and said, Whether thou shalt lose a just man [or the rightwise] with the wicked?

24if fifty just [or rightwise] men be in the city, shall they perish altogether, and shalt thou not spare that place for fifty just [or rightwise] men, if they be therein?

25Far be it from thee that thou do this thing, and slay the just [or rightwise] with the wicked, and that a just [or rightwise] man be made as a wicked man; this is not thine that deemest all [the] earth; thou shalt not make this doom.

26And the Lord said to him, If I shall find in Sodom fifty just [or rightwise] men in the midst of the city, I shall forgive to all the place for them.

27Abraham answered and said, For I began once, I shall speak to my Lord, since I am dust and ashes;

28what if less than fifty just [or rightwise] men by five be, shalt thou do away all the city for five and forty? And the Lord said, I shall not do away, if I shall find five and forty there.

29And again Abraham said to him, But if forty be there, what shalt thou do? The Lord said, I shall not smite for forty.

30Abraham said, Lord, I beseech, take thou not into indignation, if I speak; what if thirty be found there? The Lord answered, I shall not do, if I shall find thirty there.

31Abraham said, For I began once, I shall speak to my Lord; what if twenty be found there? The Lord said, I shall not slay for twenty.

32Abraham said, Lord, I beseech, be thou not wroth, if I speak yet once more; what if ten be found there? The Lord said, I shall not do away for ten.

33The Lord went forth, after that he [had] ceased to speak to Abraham, and Abraham turned again into his place.

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 18

1And יהוה appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, while he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.

2So he lifted his eyes and looked, and saw three men standing opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,

3and said, “יהוה, if I have now found favour in Your eyes, please do not pass Your servant by.

4“Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

5“And let me bring a piece of bread and refresh your hearts, and then go on, for this is why you have come to your servant.” And they said, “Do as you have said.”

6So Aḇraham ran into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, make ready three measures of fine flour, knead it and make cakes.”

7And Aḇraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hurried to prepare it.

8And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

9And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “See, in the tent.”

10And He said, “I shall certainly return to you according to the time of life, and see, Sarah your wife is to have a son!” And Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.

11Now Aḇraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age, and Sarah was past the way of women.

12And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my master being old too?”

13And יהוה said to Aḇraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I truly have a child, since I am old?’

14Is any matter too hard for יהוה? At the appointed time I am going to return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah is to have a son.

15But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

16And the men rose up from there and looked toward Seḏom, and Aḇraham went with them to send them away.

17And יהוה said, “Shall I hide from Aḇraham what I am doing,

18since Aḇraham is certainly going to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19“For I have known him, so that he commands his children and his household after him, to guard the way of יהוה, to do righteousness and right-ruling, so that יהוה brings to Aḇraham what He has spoken to him.

20And יהוה said, “Because the outcry against Seḏom and Amorah is great, and because their sin is very heavy,

21“I am going down now to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me, and if not, I know.

22So the men turned away from there and went toward Seḏom, but יהוה still stood before Aḇraham.

23And Aḇraham drew near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wrong?

24“Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city, would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?

25“Far be it from You to act in this way, to slay the righteous with the wrong, so that the righteous should be as the wrong. Far be it from You! Does the Judge of all the earth not do right?”

26And יהוה said, “If I find in Seḏom fifty righteous within the city, then I shall spare all the place for their sakes.”

27And Aḇraham answered and said, “Look, please, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to יהוה,

28Suppose there are five less than the fifty righteous, would You destroy all of the city for lack of five? And He said, “If I find there forty-five, I do not destroy it.”

29And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there are found forty?” And He said, “I would not do it for the sake of forty.”

30And he said, “Let not יהוה be displeased, and let me speak: Suppose there are found thirty?” And He said, “I would not do it if I find thirty there.”

31And he said, “Look, please, I have taken it upon myself to speak to יהוה: Suppose there are found twenty?” And He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”

32And he said, “Let not יהוה be displeased, and let me speak only this time: Suppose there are found ten?” And He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

33Then יהוה went away as soon as He had ended speaking to Aḇraham. And Aḇraham returned to his place.

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