Genesis 18
18
The LORD promises Abraham a son
1One hot summer afternoon Abraham was sitting by the entrance to his tent near the sacred trees of Mamre, when the LORD appeared to him. 2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground,#He 13.2. 3and said, “Please come to my home where I can serve you. 4I'll have some water brought, so you can wash your feet, then you can rest under the tree. 5Let me get you some food to give you strength before you leave. I would be honoured to serve you.”
“Thank you very much,” they answered. “We accept your offer.”
6Abraham quickly went to his tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread.” 7After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared. 8He then served his guests some yoghurt and milk together with the meat.
While they were eating, he stood near them under the trees, 9and they asked, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
“She is there in the tent,” Abraham answered.
10One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, “I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son.”#Ro 9.9.
Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. 12So she laughed and said to herself, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?”#18.12 know such happiness: Either the joy of making love or the joy of having children.#1 P 3.6.
13The LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14I am the LORD! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.”#Lk 1.37.
15Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, “I didn't laugh.”
“Yes, you did!” he answered.
Abraham, Lot, Sodom, and Gomorrah
Abraham prays for Sodom
16When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.
17The LORD said to himself, “I should tell Abraham what I am going to do, 18since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth.#18.18 that will be…on earth: Or “and all other nations on earth will ask me to bless them as I have blessed his family.” 19I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me for ever and to do what is right and fair. Then I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised.”
20The LORD said, “Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things. 21Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I want to know about it.”
22The men turned and started towards Sodom. But the LORD stayed with Abraham, 23who asked, “LORD, when you destroy the evil people, are you also going to destroy those who are good? 24Wouldn't you spare the city if there are only fifty good people in it? 25You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right.”
26The LORD replied, “If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed.”
27Abraham answered, “I am nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, LORD, for daring to speak to you like this. 28But suppose there are only forty-five good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?”
“If I find forty-five good people,” the LORD replied, “I won't destroy the city.”
29“Suppose there are just forty good people?” Abraham asked.
“Even for them,” the LORD replied, “I won't destroy the city.”
30Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, LORD, if I ask you what you will do if there are only thirty good people in the city.”
“If I find thirty,” the LORD replied, “I still won't destroy it.”
31Then Abraham said, “I don't have any right to ask you, LORD, but what would you do if you find only twenty?”
“Because of them, I won't destroy the city,” was the LORD's answer.
32Finally, Abraham said, “Please don't get angry, LORD, if I speak just once more. Suppose you find only ten good people there.”
“For the sake of ten good people,” the LORD told him, “I still won't destroy the city.”
33After speaking with Abraham, the LORD left, and Abraham went back home.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Genesis 18
18
Genesis 18
1¶ And the Lord appeared unto him among the terebinth trees of Mamre; and he was sitting in the door of his tent in the heat of the day;
2and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, 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, if now I have found grace in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy slave.
4Let a little water, I pray you, be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves under a tree;
5and I will bring a morsel of bread and comfort your hearts; after that ye shall pass on because for this ye are come to your slave. And they said, So do as thou hast said.
6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make bread baked under the ashes.
7And Abraham ran unto the herd and brought a calf tender and good and gave it unto a young man; and he hastened 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 ate.
9¶ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Here, in the tent.
10Then he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13Then the Lord said unto Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child when I am old?
14Is 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.
15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, No, but thou didst laugh.
16¶ And the men rose up from there and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do,
18seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and that all the Gentiles of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19For I know him, that he will command his sons and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.
20And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah 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 Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23¶ And Abraham drew near and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it?
25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be treated as the wicked that are far from thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes;
28peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.
29And he spoke unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure 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 now be angry if I shall speak; peradventure 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; peradventure 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 be angry, and I will speak yet but this once; peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
33And the Lord went away as soon as he had left communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.
The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International