1 And Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and noticed three men stood across from him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,
3 and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, don't pass away, I pray you, from your slave:
4 let now a little water be fetched, and wash your{+} feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen your{+} heart; after that you{+} will pass on: since you{+} have come to your{+} slave. And they said, Do so, as you have said.
6 And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, Quickly make ready three seahs of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the attendant; and he hurried 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 ate.
9 And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Look, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return to you when the season comes around; and, see, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, [and] well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 And Sarah laughed inside herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And Yahweh said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I certainly bear a child, who am old?
14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied [it], saying, I didn't laugh; for she was afraid. And he said, No; but you did laugh.
16 And the men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And Yahweh said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do;
18 seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his sons and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.
20 And Yahweh 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 its [Sodom's] cry, which has come to me; and if not, I will know.
22 And the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?
24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous inside the city: will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?
25 Far be that from you to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be that from you: will not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And Yahweh said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous inside the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Seeing now that I have taken on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes:
28 perhaps there will lack five of the fifty righteous: will you destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.
29 And he spoke to him yet again, and said, Perhaps there will be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake.
30 And he said, Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak: perhaps there will be thirty found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Seeing now that I have taken on myself to speak to the Lord: perhaps there will be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.
32 And he said, Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: perhaps ten will be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.
33 And Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.