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Lord appeared to Abraham near the great oaks of Mamre while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them, and he bowed to the ground.
3 He said, “My Lord, if I have found favour in Your eyes, do not pass by Your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me also bring you some food, so you may refresh yourselves and then continue on your way, now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they replied, “do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of fine flour, then knead it and make some bread.”
7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and selected a tender, choice calf and gave it to a servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He then took some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before the men. Then he stood under a tree near them while they ate.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he answered.
10 The Lord said, “I will certainly return to you this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was well past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I have become worn out and old and my master is also old, will I have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, and in about a year Sarah will have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, for she was afraid.
But He replied, “No, but you did laugh.”
16 When the men got up and set out to leave, they looked over toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.”
20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin is so grievous, 21 I will go down now and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. Then if is not, I will know.”
22 The men turned away from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous are treated like the wicked. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of the earth do what is right?”
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham spoke up again, “Now that I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?”
He answered, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”
29 Then He spoke to Him again, “Suppose forty are found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Then Abraham said, “Now that I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?”
He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there?”
He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned to his place.