GE-18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre:
and he sat in
the tent door in the heat of the day;
GE-18:2 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 toward the ground,
GE-18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy
sight,
pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
GE-18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash
your
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
GE-18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your
hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come
to your
servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
GE-18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said,
Make
ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make
cakes
upon the hearth.
GE-18:7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf
tender and
good, and gave [it] unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
GE-18:8 And 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.
GE-18:9 And they said unto him, Where [is] Sarah thy wife? And
he
said, Behold, in the tent.
GE-18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee
according to
the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And
Sarah
heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him.
GE-18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah [were] old [and] well stricken
in age;
[and] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
GE-18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After
I am
waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
GE-18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah
laugh,
saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
GE-18:14 Is 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.
GE-18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
GE-18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward
Sodom:
and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
GE-18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do;
GE-18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and
mighty
nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
GE-18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and
his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to
do
justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that
which
he hath spoken of him.
GE-18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and
Gomorrah is
great, and because their sin is very grievous;
GE-18:21 I 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.
GE-18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went
toward
Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
GE-18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also
destroy the
righteous with the wicked?
GE-18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city:
wilt
thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous that
[are] therein?
GE-18:25 That be far from thee 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 thee: Shall not the Judge of all the
earth do
right?
GE-18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous
within
the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
GE-18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have
taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord, which [am but] dust and ashes:
GE-18:28 Peradventure 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 and five, I will not destroy [it].
GE-18:29 And he spake 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.
GE-18:30 And he said [unto him], Oh let not the Lord be angry,
and I
will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And
he
said, I will not do [it], if I find thirty there.
GE-18:31 And 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.
GE-18:32 And 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.
GE-18:33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left
communing
with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
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