Genesis 18  Legacy Standard Bible

Yahweh Appears to Abraham

18 Then ^(A)Yahweh appeared to him by the ^[a](B)oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. ² And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three ^(C)men were standing nearby; he saw, and he ran from the tent door to meet them, and he bowed himself to the earth, ³ and he said, “^[b]My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not ^[c]pass Your servant by. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought and ^(D)wash your feet, and ^[d]rest yourselves under the tree; ⁵ and let me ^[e](E)bring a piece of bread, that you may ^[f]refresh your hearts; after that you may pass on, since in such a manner you have passed by your servant.” And they said, “So you shall do, as you have said.” ⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “^[g]Hurry, prepare ^[h]three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.” ⁷ Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender and ^[i]choice calf and gave it to his young man, and he hurried to prepare it. ⁸ Then he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree, and they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰ And He said, “^(F)I will surely return to you ^[j]at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door which was behind him. ¹¹ Now ^(G)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was ^(H)past ^[k]childbearing. ¹² And Sarah laughed ^[l]to herself, saying, “^(I)After I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my ^(J)lord being old also?” ¹³ And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed ^[m]bear a son, when I am so old?’ ^14 (K)Is anything too ^[n]difficult for Yahweh? At the ^(L)appointed time I will return to you, ^[o]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵ Then Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Yahweh and Abraham Speak About Sodom

¹⁶ Then ^(M)the men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. ^17 (N)Now Yahweh said, “Shall I conceal from Abraham ^(O)what I am about to do, ¹⁸ since Abraham will surely become a great and ^[p]mighty nation, and in him ^(P)all the nations of the earth will be blessed? ¹⁹ For I have ^[q](Q)known him, so that he may ^(R)command his children and his household after him, ^(S)that they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham ^(T)what He has spoken about him.” ²⁰ So Yahweh said, “^(U)The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. ²¹ I will ^(V)go down now and see whether they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

²² Then ^(W)the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before ^(X)Yahweh. ²³ Then Abraham came near and said, “^(Y)Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not ^[r]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do ^[s]such a thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not ^(Z)the Judge of all the earth do justice?” ²⁶ So Yahweh said, “^(AA)If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will ^[t]spare the whole place on their account.” ²⁷ And Abraham answered and said, “Now behold, I have ^[u]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but ^(AB)dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ Then he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” ³¹ And he said, “Now behold, I have ^[v]ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” ³² Then he said, “^(AC)Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” ³³ And as soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham, ^(AD)Yahweh departed, and Abraham returned to his place.