And Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day.
And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing nearby him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and he bowed down to the ground
and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your eyes, please do not go away from your servant.
Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way—for that is why you have come to your servant.” They said, “Very well, do as you have said.”
Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make bread.”
Abraham ran to the herd and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to prepare it.
And he took curds, and milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” He said, “There, in the tent.”
He said, “I will return, yes, return to you according to the time of life. And, behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah was listening from the tent entrance, which was behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in days. For Sarah, it had ceased to be after the way of women.
So Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my lord is also old, will I have this pleasure?”
But Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really give birth to a child when I am old?’
Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah will have a son.”
Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid. But he said, “No, but you did laugh.”
The men rose up from there and looked down toward the face of Sodom. Abraham was walking with them to send them on their way.
Yahweh said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
since Abraham will become, yes, become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by him?
For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of Yahweh by doing what is right and just, so that Yahweh may bring on Abraham what he has spoken concerning him.”
And Yahweh said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin is so very grievous,
that I will go down now and see whether what they have done is as bad as the reports that have come to me. And if not, I will know.”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
The two men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before Yahweh.
And Abraham drew near and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
What if there are 50 righteous inside the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who are in it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
And Yahweh said, “If I find in Sodom 50 righteous inside the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
And Abraham answered, “Behold now, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes.
Perhaps of the 50 righteous, five will be lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find 45 there.”
And he spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if 40 are found there?” He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the 40.”
He said, “Oh let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak. What if there are 30 found there?” He said, “I will not do it, if I find 30 there.”
He said, “Behold now, I have ventured to speak to the Lord. What if there are 20 found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20.”
He said, “Oh let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak only this once. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
And Yahweh went his way as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.