Genesis 18
18
1And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks#18.1 Or terebinths of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, 3and said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5while I fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures#18.6 Heb seahs of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.” 7And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8Then 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 while they ate.
9They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10#Rom 9.9. The Lord said, “I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12#1 Pet 3.6. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14#Mt 19.26; Mk 10.27; Lk 1.37; Rom 9.9. Is anything too hard#18.14 Or wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
16Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18#Gen 12.3; Acts 3.25; Gal 3.8. seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him?#18.18 Or in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed 19No, for I have chosen#18.19 Heb known him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.”
22So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27Abraham answered, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29Again he spoke to him, and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31He said, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Genesis 18
18
Abraham en sy drie vreemde besoekers
1Op ’n dag het die Here weer na Abraham toe gekom. Dit was in die omgewing van Mamre naby die groot eikeboom. Abraham het by die ingang van sy tent gesit, want dit was die warmste tyd van die dag. 2Skielik sien hy drie mans voor hom. Abraham het opgespring en die mans gaan groet. 3Hy het laag gebuig en toe gesê: “Menere, kom asseblief nader. Moenie verder stap nie. Bly hier. Dit is ’n voorreg om u te ontvang. 4Ek bring vir u ’n bietjie water en dan kan u sommer daar onder die boom gaan sit en u voete was.
5“Ek kry ook gou ’n stukkie brood, dan kan u iets eet voordat u verder loop. Dit is wonderlik dat u nou juis hier by my verby moes kom.”
Hulle antwoord: “Goed dan, ons sal so ’n rukkie bly. Maak maar soos jy sê.”
6Abraham is vinnig tent toe om vir Sara te sê: “Vat gou ’n paar hande vol van jou beste fynmeel, knie dit en maak vir die mense broodrolletjies.”
7Daarna is hy op ’n drafstap beeste toe. Hy keer ’n mooi jong kalf uit die trop en vra een van sy werkers om dit vinnig te slag en die vleis gaar te maak. 8Toe die kos klaar was, het Abraham die kalf saam met botterstukkies en melk vir die gaste voorgesit. Terwyl hulle geëet het, het Abraham eenkant onder die boom gestaan.
9“Waar is jou vrou, Sara?” het hulle hom gevra. “Daar, daar in die tent,” het hy gesê.
10Een van hulle sê toe: “As ek volgende jaar op dieselfde tyd weer hier verbykom, sal jou vrou ’n seun hê.”
Sara het dit gehoor, want sy het agter hulle in die tent se ingang gestaan. 11Abraham en Sara was egter al oud en Sara lankal verby die tyd dat ’n mens ’n kind kry. 12Dit is hoekom sy gelag het toe sy die man oor ’n seun hoor praat het. Sara het vir haarself gesê: “My lyf is al veels te oud vir die genot van die liefde. En boonop is Abraham ook hopeloos te oud.”
13Die Here vra toe vir Abraham: “Waarom het Sara netnou gelag? En waarom het sy gedink sy is te oud vir ’n kind? 14Is enigiets dan vir die Here onmoontlik? Oor ’n jaar is Ek weer hier, dan sal Sara ’n seun hê.”
15Sara het skielik bang geword en ontken dat sy gelag het, maar die Here het gesê: “O ja, jy het!”
Abraham pleit vir Sodom
16Later die middag het die drie mans opgestaan en op ’n plek gekom waar hulle Sodom kon sien. Abraham het ’n ent saamgestap. 17Terwyl hulle so stap, het die Here gedink: “Sal Ek vir Abraham wegsteek wat Ek met Sodom gaan doen? 18Abraham se kinders gaan tog ’n groot en sterk nasie word en hulle sal baie mense wees. Al die volke sal Abraham ken; daarom sal dit met hulle goed gaan. 19Van alle mense het Ek Abraham uitgesoek om my spesiale boodskapper te wees. Hy het nog altyd naby my geleef. Hy sal sy kinders van My vertel en hulle sal ook naby My leef. Hulle sal weet hoe om reg te leef en die regte dinge te doen. Daarom sal Ek nog al my beloftes aan Abraham waar maak.”
20Die Here het toe vir Abraham alles vertel. “Ek is op pad Sodom en Gomorra toe,” het Hy gesê. “Hulle sonde skreeu ten hemele. Hulle doen die allerverskriklikste dinge. 21En Ek het kom kyk wat aangaan en of alles so sleg is. Ek moet uitvind of alles oor Sodom en Gomorra waar is of nie.”
22Twee van die mans het solank aangestap na Sodom toe terwyl die Here nog ’n rukkie met Abraham gepraat het.
23Abraham vra Hom toe: “Gaan U almal doodmaak, skuldiges en onskuldiges? 24Sê nou daar is 50 goeie mense in die stad; gaan U dit nogtans verwoes? Sal U nie die stad ter wille van hierdie 50 spaar nie? 25U sal mos nie goeie mense saam met slegtes laat ly nie. So iets sal U mos nie doen nie. U wat die goeie regter is van die hele wêreld, sal mos nie skuldiges en onskuldiges saam vernietig nie.”
26Die Here het gesê: “As daar 50 goeie mense in Sodom is, sal Ek die stad ter wille van hulle spaar.”
27Abraham het weer gepraat: “Voor U is ek niks nie; net maar stof en as. En tog waag ek om U weer te vra: 28Sê nou daar is nie heeltemal 50 nie, maar net 45 goeie mense. Sal U dan die stad vernietig? Gaan vyf soveel verskil maak?”
“Nee,” sê die Here toe, “as daar 45 is, sal Ek nie die stad vernietig nie.”
29“En sê maar daar is net 40?” het Abraham gevra. Weer het die Here gesê dat Hy nie die stad sal verwoes nie.
30Abraham sê toe: “Here, moet tog nie kwaad word as ek weer vra nie, maar sê nou daar is net 30?” Weer het die Here Abraham verseker dat Hy die stad sal spaar.
31Abraham het weer probeer: “Dis verwaand van my om met die Here te redeneer. Maar as daar net twintig is, Here, wat dan?” Weer het die Here gesê dat Hy die stad nie sal vernietig nie.
32En Abraham het ’n laaste keer gevra: “Here, moenie kwaad wees nie, maar as daar net tien is, wat dan?” En weer het die Here Abraham gerusgestel dat Hy die stad ter wille van hierdie tien sal spaar.
33Toe die Here klaar met Abraham gepraat het, het Hy omgedraai en in die rigting van Sodom aangestap. En Abraham het teruggegaan huis toe.
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2002. Gebruik met toestemming van Christelike Uitgewersmaatskappy,Posbus 1599, Vereeniging, 1930. Alle regte voorbehou.