The Three Visitors

1Annd the LORDE apeared vnto him in the Okegroue of Mamre, as he sat in his tent dore in the heate of ye daie. 2And as he lift vp his eyes, and loked, beholde, there stode thre men ouer agaynst him. And whan he sawe them, he ranne to mete them from his tent dore, and bowed him self downe vpon the grounde, 3and sayde: LORDE, yf I haue founde fauoure in thy sight, go not by yi seruaut. 4There shalbe brought you a litle water, & ye shall wash yor fete, & rest youre selues vnder the tre. 5And I wyll fet you a morsell of bred, to comforte youre hertes withall, and then shall ye go youre wayes, for therfore are ye come to youre seruaunt. They sayde: do euen so as thou hast spoken: 6Abraham wente a pace in to the tent to Sara, and sayde: Make haist, & mengle thre peckes of fyne meele, knede it, and bake cakes. 7And he ranne to the beastes, & fet a calf that was tender and good, and gaue it vnto a yonge man, which made it ready at once. 8And he toke butter and mylke and of the calfe that he had prepared, and set it before the, stode him self by them vnder the tre, & they ate.

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

9Then saide they vnto him: where is Sara thy wyfe? He answered: within in ye tent. 10Then sayde he: aboute this tyme twolue moneth, (yf I lyue) I will come to the agayne, and Sara thy wyfe shal haue a sonne. And Sara herde that out of the tent dore, which was behynde his backe. 11And Abraham and Sara were both olde, & well stryken in age: so that it wente nomore with Sara after ye maner of wemen: 12therfore laughed she within hir self, and sayde: Now that I am olde & my lorde olde also, shal I yet geue my self to lust? 13Then sayde ye LORDE vnto Abraham: Wherfore doth Sara laugh, and saye: Is this true in dede, that I shal beare, and yet am olde? 14Shulde eny soch thinge be to harde for the LORDE? Aboute this tyme (yf I lyue) I wil come to the agayne, & Sara shal haue a sonne. 15Then Sara denyed it, and sayde: I laughed not, for she was afrayed. But he sayde: It is not so, thou dyddest laughe.

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

16Then the men stode vp from thence, and turned them towarde Sodome: and Abraham wente with them, to brynge them on their waye. 17Then sayde the LORDE: How can I hyde from Abraham, ye thinge that I wil do? 18seynge he shal be a greate and mightie people, and all ye people vpo earth shalbe blessed in him? 19For I knewe him that he wil comaunde his children and his housholde after him, to kepe the waye of ye LORDE, and to do after right and conscience, that the LORDE maye bringe vpo Abraham what he hath promised him. 20And the LORDE sayde: There is a crie at Sodome and Gomorra, which is greate, & their synnes are exceadinge greuous: 21therfore will I go downe & se, whether they haue done all together, acordinge to that crye, which is come before me, or not, that I maye knowe.

22And the men turned their face, and wete towarde Sodome. But Abraham stode still before ye LORDE, 23and stepte vnto him, and sayde:Wilt thou then destroye the righteous with the vngodly? 24Peradueture there maye be fiftie righteous within ye cite: wilt thou destroye those, and not spare the place, for fiftie righteous sake that are therin? 25That be farre fro the, yt thou shuldest do this, and to slaye the righteous with the vngodly, and that the righteous shulde be as the vngodly. That be farre from the. Shulde not the iudge of all the worlde do acordinge to right? 26And the LORDE sayde: Yf I fynde fiftie righteous at Sodome in the cite, I wil spare all the place for their sakes. 27Abraham answered, and sayde: O se, I haue taken vpon me to speake vnto the LORDE, howbeit I am but dust and asshes. 28Peraduenture there maye be fyue lesse then fiftie righteous therin: Wilt thou then destroye the whole cite because of those fyue? He sayde: yf I fynde fyue and fourtie therin, I will not destroye them? 29And he proceded further to speake vnto him, and sayde: Peraduenture there might be fourtie founde therin. And he sayde: I wil do nothinge vnto them for those fourtyes sake. 30Abraham sayde: Oh let not my LORDE be angrie, that I speake yet more. Peradueture there might be thirtie founde therin. And he sayde: Yf I fynde thirtie therin, I will do nothinge vnto them. 31And he sayde: O se, I haue taken vpon me to speake vnto my LORDE.Peradueture there might be twetie founde therin. He answered: I wyll not destroye them for those twentyes sake. 32And sayde: O let not my LORDE be angrie, that I speake yet once more. Peraduenture there might be ten founde therin. He saide: I wil not destroye them for those ten sake. 33And the LORDE wente his waye, whan he had left talkynge with Abraham. And Abraham returned vnto his place.