The Three Visitors

1And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon. 2And he lifted up his eyes and beheld, and lo! three men stood before him; and having seen them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and did obeisance to the ground. 3And he said, Lord, if indeed I have found grace in thy sight, pass not by thy servant. 4Let water now be brought, and let them wash your feet, and do ye refresh yourselves under the tree. 5And I will bring bread, and ye shall eat, and after this ye shall depart on your journey, on account of which refreshment ye have turned aside to your servant. And he said, So do, as thou hast said. 6And Abraam hasted to the tent to Sarrha, and said to her, Hasten, and knead three measures of fine flour, and make cakes. 7And Abraam ran to the kine, and took a young calf, tender and good, and gave it to his servant, and he hasted to dress it. 8And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed; and he set them before them, and they did eat, and he stood by them under the tree.

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

9And he said to him, Where is Sarrha thy wife? And he answered and said, Behold! in the tent. 10And he said, I will return and come to thee according to this period seasonably, and Sarrha thy wife shall have a son; and Sarrha heard at the door of the tent, being behind him. 11And Abraam and Sarrha were old, advanced in days, and the custom of women ceased with Sarrha. 12And Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old. 13And the Lord said to Abraam, Why is it that Sarrha has laughed in herself, saying, Shall I then indeed bear? but I am grown old. 14Shall anything be impossible with the Lord? At this time I will return to thee seasonably, and Sarrha shall have a son. 15But Sarrha denied, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. And he said to her, Nay, but thou didst laugh.

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

16And the men having risen up from thence looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha. And Abraam went with them, attending them on their journey. 17And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraam my servant what things I intend to do? 18But Abraam shall become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blest. 19For I know that he will order his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the ways of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraam all things whatsoever he has spoken to him. 20And the Lord said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great. 21I will therefore go down and see, if they completely correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know.

22And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord. 23And Abraam drew nigh and said, Wouldest thou destroy the righteous with the wicked, and shall the righteous be as the wicked? 24Should there be fifty righteous in the city, wilt thou destroy them? wilt thou not spare the whole place for the sake of the fifty righteous, if they be in it? 25By no means shalt thou do as this thing is so as to destroy the righteous with the wicked, so the righteous shall be as the wicked: by no means. Thou that judgest the whole earth, shalt thou not do right? 26And the Lord said, If there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes. 27And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes. 28But if the fifty righteous should be diminished to forty-five, wilt thou destroy the whole city because of the five wanting? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there forty-five. 29And he continued to speak to him still, and said, But if there should be found there forty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the forty's sake. 30And he said, Will there be anything against me, Lord, if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the thirty's sake. 31And he said, Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there should be found there twenty? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty. 32And he said, Will there be anything against me, Lord, if I speak yet once? but if there should be found there ten? And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake. 33And the Lord departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.