Genesis 18 (New American Standard)

Birth of Isaac Promised

1 Now ¹the LORD appeared to him by the ^a2oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three ³men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, "^bMy Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not ^cpass your servant by. 4 "Please let a little water be brought and ⁴wash your feet, and ^drest yourselves under the tree ; 5 and I will ^e5bring a piece of bread, that you may ^frefresh yourselves ; after that you may go on, since you have ^gvisited your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have said." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "^hQuickly, prepare three ⁱmeasures of fine flour , knead it and make bread cakes." 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and ^jchoice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree ^kas they ate. 9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife ?" And he said, "There, in the tent." 10 He said, "⁶I will surely return to you ^lat this time next year ; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now ⁷Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age ; Sarah was ⁸past ^mchildbearing . 12 Sarah laughed ⁿto herself, saying, "⁹After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my ¹⁰lord being old also?" 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed ^obear a child, when I am so old ?' 14 "¹¹Is anything too ^pdifficult for the LORD ? At the ¹²appointed time I will return to you, ^qat this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." 15 Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh "; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh." 16 Then ¹³the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom ; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 ¹⁴The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham ¹⁵what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and ^rmighty nation, and in him ¹⁶all the nations of the earth will be blessed ? 19 "For I have ^s17chosen him, so that he may ¹⁸command his children and his household after him to ¹⁹keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham ²⁰what He has spoken about him." 20 And the LORD said, "²¹The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 "I will ²²go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know." 22 Then ²³the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before ²⁴the LORD. 23 Abraham came near and said, "²⁵Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked ? 24 "Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city ; will You indeed sweep it away and not ^tspare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 "Far be it from You to do ^usuch a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not ²⁶the Judge of all the earth ^vdeal justly ?" 26 So the LORD said, "²⁷If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will ^wspare the whole place on their account." 27 And Abraham replied, "Now behold, I have ^xventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but ²⁸dust and ashes. 28 "Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five ?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose forty are found there ?" And He said, "I will not do it on account of the forty." 30 Then he said, "Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak ; suppose thirty are found there ?" And He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 And he said, "Now behold, I have ^yventured to speak to the Lord ; suppose twenty are found there ?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the twenty." 32 Then he said, "²⁹Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once ; suppose ten are found there ?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the ten." 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham ³⁰the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place.