BERESHITH (GENESIS) 18

Gen 18:1 And יהוה appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, while
he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
Gen 18:2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and saw three men standing
opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them,
and bowed himself to the ground,
Gen 18:3 and said, “ יהוה, if I have now found favour in Your eyes, please do
not pass Your servant by.
Gen 18:4 “Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree.
Gen 18:5 “And let me bring a piece of bread and refresh your hearts, and
then go on, for this is why you have come to your servant.” And they said,
“Do as you have said.”
Gen 18:6 So Aḇraham ran into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, make
ready three measures of fine flour, knead it and make cakes.”
Gen 18:7 And Aḇraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it
to a young man, and he hurried to prepare it.
Gen 18:8 And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared,
and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Gen 18:9 And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said,
“See, in the tent.”
Gen 18:10 And He said, “I shall certainly return to you according to the time
of life, and see, Sarah your wife is to have a son!” And Sarah was listening
in the tent door which was behind him.
Gen 18:11 Now Aḇraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age, and
Sarah was past the way of women.
Gen 18:12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown
old, shall I have pleasure, my master being old too?”
Gen 18:13 And יהוה said to Aḇraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I
truly have a child, since I am old?’
Gen 18:14 “Is any matter too hard for יהוה ? At the appointed time I am going
to return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah is to have a son.”
Gen 18:15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Gen 18:16 And the men rose up from there and looked toward Seḏom, and
Aḇraham went with them to send them away.
Gen 18:17 And יהוה said, “Shall I hide from Aḇraham what I am doing,
Gen 18:18 since Aḇraham is certainly going to become a great and mighty
nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 18:19 “For I have known him, so that he commands his children and his
household after him, to guard the way of יהוה, to do righteousness and right-
ruling, so that יהוה brings to Aḇraham what He has spoken to him.”
Gen 18:20 And יהוה said, “Because the outcry against Seḏom and Amorah is
great, and because their sin is very heavy,
Gen 18:21 “I am going down now to see whether they have done altogether
according to the outcry against it that has come to Me, and if not, I know.”
Gen 18:22 So the men turned away from there and went toward Seḏom, but
יהוה still stood before Aḇraham.
Gen 18:23 And Aḇraham drew near and said, “Would You also destroy the
righteous with the wrong?
Gen 18:24 “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city, would You also
destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
Gen 18:25 “Far be it from You to act in this way, to slay the righteous with
the wrong, so that the righteous should be as the wrong. Far be it from You!
Does the Judge of all the earth not do right?”
Gen 18:26 And יהוה said, “If I find in Seḏom fifty righteous within the city,
then I shall spare all the place for their sakes.”
Gen 18:27 And Aḇraham answered and said, “Look, please, I who am but
dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to יהוה,
Gen 18:28 “Suppose there are five less than the fifty righteous, would You
destroy all of the city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find there forty-
five, I do not destroy it.”
Gen 18:29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there are
found forty?” And He said, “I would not do it for the sake of forty.”
Gen 18:30 And he said, “Let not יהוה be displeased, and let me speak:
Suppose there are found thirty?” And He said, “I would not do it if I find
thirty there.”
Gen 18:31 And he said, “Look, please, I have taken it upon myself to speak
to יהוה : Suppose there are found twenty?” And He said, “I would not destroy
it for the sake of twenty.”
Gen 18:32 And he said, “Let not יהוה be displeased, and let me speak only
this time: Suppose there are found ten?” And He said, “I would not destroy it
for the sake of ten.”
Gen 18:33 Then יהוה went away as soon as He had ended speaking to
Aḇraham. And Aḇraham returned to his place.