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Chapter 18 |
| 1 | And the LORD
appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in 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 toward the ground, |
| 3 | And said, My LORD, if now I
have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy
servant: |
| 4
| Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: |
|
5 | And I will fetch a morsel of
bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore
are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
|
| 6 | And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready
quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the
hearth. |
| 7 |
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and
good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. |
| 8 | And 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 did eat. |
| 9 | And
they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the
tent. |
| 10 |
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to
the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it
in the tent door, which was behind him. |
|
11 | Now Abraham and Sarah were
old and well 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 shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? |
| 13 | And the
LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety
bear a child, which am old? |
|
14 | Is 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. |
| 15 | Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not;
for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. |
| 16 | And the
men rose 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 surely become a
great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in
him? |
| 19 |
For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and
judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of
him. |
| 20 |
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is
great, and because their sin is very grievous; |
| 21 | I 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. |
| 22 | And the men
turned their faces from thence, 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? |
| 24 | Peradventure there be fifty
righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for
the fifty righteous that are therein? |
| 25 | That be far from thee to do
after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the
righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge
of all the earth do right? |
|
26 | And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom
fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their
sakes. |
| 27
| And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken
upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: |
| 28 |
Peradventure 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 and five, I
will not destroy it. |
| 29 | And he spake 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. |
| 30 | And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be
angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he
said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. |
| 31 | And 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. |
| 32 |
And 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. |
| 33 | And the LORD went his way, as
soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his
place. |
