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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