1The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day, 2#He 13.2 he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground, 3he said, “Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you.”

They replied, “Thank you; we accept.”

6Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread.” 7Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready. 8He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate.

9Then they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”

“She is there in the tent,” he answered.

10 # Ro 9.9 One of them said, “Nine months from now#18.10: Nine months from now; or This time next year. I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12#1 P 3.6 So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too.”

13Then the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?’ 14#Lk 1.37 Is anything too hard for the Lord? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

15Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. “I didn't laugh,” she said.

“Yes, you did,” he replied. “You laughed.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16Then the men left and went to a place where they could look down at Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17And the Lord said to himself, “I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations.#18.18: through … nations; or all the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed him. 19I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised.”

20Then the Lord said to Abraham, “There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true.”

22Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23Abraham approached the Lord and asked, “Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24If there are fifty innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city? Won't you spare it in order to save the fifty? 25Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly.”

26The Lord answered, “If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”

27Abraham spoke again: “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything. 28But perhaps there will be only forty-five innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?”

The Lord answered, “I will not destroy the city if I find forty-five innocent people.”

29Abraham spoke again: “Perhaps there will be only forty.”

He replied, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.”

30Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, but I must speak again. What if there are only thirty?”

He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty.”

31Abraham said, “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. Suppose that only twenty are found?”

He said, “I will not destroy the city if I find twenty.”

32Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak only once more. What if only ten are found?”

He said, “I will not destroy it if there are ten.” 33After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the Lord went away, and Abraham returned home.

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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

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Genesis 18

Genesis 18