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[1]Again the Lord appeared unto him in the plain of Mamre, as he sat in his tent door about the heat of the day.
[2]And he lift up his eyes, and looked: and lo, three men stood by him, and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the ground.
[3]And he said, Lord, if I have now found favor in thy sight, go not, I pray thee, from thy servant.
[4]Let a little water, I pray you, be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
[5]And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may comfort your hearts, afterward ye shall go your ways: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, Do even as thou hast said.
[6]Then Abraham made haste into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready at once three measures of fine meal: knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
[7]And Abraham ran to the beasts, and took a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant, who hasted to make it ready.
[8]And he took butter and milk, and the calf, which he had prepared, and set before them, and stood himself by them under the tree, and they did eat.
[9]Then they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he answered, Behold, she is in the tent.
[10]And he said, I will certainly come again unto thee according to the time of life: and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. and Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
[11](Now Abraham and Sarah were old and stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women)
[12]Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, and my lord also, shall I have lust?
[13]And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah thus laugh, saying, Shall I certainly bear a child, which am old?
[14](Shall anything be hard to the Lord? At the time appointed will I return unto thee, even according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.)
[15]But Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not: for she was afraid. And he said, It is not so: for thou laughedst.
[16]Afterward the men did rise up from thence and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
[17]And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do,
[18]Seeing that Abraham shall be indeed a great and a mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
[19]For I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that he hath spoken unto him.
[20]Then the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is exceeding grievous,
[21]I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to that cry which is come unto me: and if not, that I may know.
[22]And the men turned thence and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
[23]Then Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
[24]If there be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
[25]Be it far from thee from doing this thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be even as the wicked, be it far from thee. Shall not the judge of all the world do right?
[26]And the Lord answered, If I shall find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then will I spare all the place for their sakes.
[27]Then Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have begun to speak unto my Lord, and I am but dust and ashes.
[28]If there shall lack five of fifty righteous, wilt thou destroy all the city for five? And he said, If I find there five and forty, I will not destroy it.
[29]And he yet spake to him again, and said, What if there shall be found forty there? Then he answered, I will not do it for forty's sake.
[30]Again he said, Let not my Lord now be angry, that I speak, What if thirty be found there? Then he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
[31]Moreover he said, Behold, now I have begun to speak unto my Lord, What if twenty be found there? And he answered, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
[32]Then he said, Let not my Lord be now angry, and I will speak but this once, What if ten be found there? And he answered, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
[33]And the Lord went his way when he had left communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned unto his place.
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