Genesis Chapter 18

Genesis Chapter 18
1 Again the Lord appeared unto him in
the plain of Mamre, as he sat in his tent
door about the heat of the day.
2 And 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 to
the ground.
3 And he said, Lord, if I have now found
favor in thy sight, go not, I pray thee,
from thy servant.
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be
brought, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread,
that you may comfort your hearts,
afterward ye shall go your ways: for
therefore are ye come to your servant.
And they said, Do even as thou hast said.
6 Then Abraham made haste into the tent
unto Sarah, and said, Make ready at once
three measures of fine meal: knead it,
and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran to the beasts, and
took a tender and good calf, and gave it
to the servant, who hasted to make it
ready.
8 And he took butter and milk, and the
calf, which he had prepared, and set
before them, and stood himself by them
under the tree, and they did eat. 9 Then
they said to him, Where is Sarah thy
wife? And he answered, Behold, she is
in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly come
again unto thee according to the time of
life: and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a
son. and Sarah heard in the tent door,
which was behind him.
11 (Now Abraham and Sarah were old
and stricken in age, and it ceased to be
with Sarah after the manner of women)
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, After I am waxed old,
and my lord also, shall I have lust?
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham,
Wherefore did Sarah thus laugh, saying,
Shall I certainly bear a child, which am
old?
14 (Shall anything be hard to the Lord?
At the time appointed will I return unto
thee, even according to the time of life,
and Sarah shall have a son.) 15 But
Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not: for
she was afraid. And he said, It is not so:
for thou laughedst.
16 Afterward the men did rise up from
thence and looked toward Sodom: and
Abraham went with them to bring them
on the way.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from
Abraham that thing which I do, 18
Seeing that Abraham shall be indeed a
great and a mighty nation, and all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed in
him?
19 For I know him that he will command
his sons and his household after him, that
they keep the way of the Lord, to do
righteousness and judgment, that the
Lord may bring upon Abraham that he
hath spoken unto him.
20 Then the Lord said, Because the cry
of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and
because their sin is exceeding grievous,
21 I will go down now, and see whether
they have done altogether according to
that cry which is come unto me: and if
not, that I may know. 22 And the men
turned thence and went toward Sodom:
but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23 Then Abraham drew near, and said,
Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with
the wicked?
24 If there be fifty righteous within the
city, wilt thou destroy and not spare the
place for the fifty righteous that are
therein?
25 Be it far from thee from doing this
thing, to slay the righteous with the
wicked: and that the righteous should be
even as the wicked, be it far from thee.
Shall not the judge of all the world do
right?
26 And the Lord answered, If I shall find
in Sodom fifty righteous within the city,
then will I spare all the place for their
sakes.
27 Then Abraham answered and said,
Behold now, I have begun to speak unto
my Lord, and I am but dust and ashes.
28 If there shall lack five of fifty
righteous, wilt thou destroy all the city
for five?
And he said, If I find there five and forty,
I will not destroy it. 29 And he yet spake
to him again, and said, What if there
shall be found forty there? Then he
answered, I will not do it for forty’s
sake.
30 Again he said, Let not my Lord now
be angry, that I speak, What if thirty be
found there? Then he said, I will not do
it, if I find thirty there. 31 Moreover he
said, Behold, now I have begun to speak
unto my Lord, What if twenty be found
there? And he answered, I will not
destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32 Then he said, Let not my Lord be now
angry, and I will speak but this once,
What if ten be found there? And he
answered, I will not destroy it for ten’s
sake.
33 And the Lord went his way when he
had left communing with Abraham, and
Abraham returned unto his place.