Birth of Isaac Promised
18 Now (A)the Lord appeared to him by the [a](B)oaks 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 (C)men 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, “[b]My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not [c]pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and (D)wash your feet, and [d]rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will [e](E)bring a piece of bread, that you may [f]refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have [g]visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “[h]Quickly, prepare three [i]measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and [j]choice 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 [k]as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “(F)I will surely return to you [l]at 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 (G)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was (H)past [m]childbearing. 12 Sarah laughed [n]to herself, saying, “(I)After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my (J)lord being old also?” 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed [o]bear a child, when I am so old?’ 14 (K)Is anything too [p]difficult for the Lord? At the (L)appointed time I will return to you, [q]at 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 (M)the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 (N)The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham (O)what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and [r]mighty nation, and in him (P)all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have [s](Q)chosen him, so that he may (R)command his children and his household after him to (S)keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham (T)what He has spoken about him.” 20 And the Lord said, “(U)The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will (V)go 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 (W)the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before (X)the Lord. 23 Abraham came near and said, “(Y)Will 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 [t]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do [u]such 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 (Z)the Judge of all the earth [v]deal justly?” 26 So the Lord said, “(AA)If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will [w]spare the whole place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have [x]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but (AB)dust 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 [y]ventured 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, “(AC)Oh 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 (AD)the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
Footnotes
- Genesis 18:1 Or terebinths
- Genesis 18:3 Or O Lord
- Genesis 18:3 Lit pass away from Your servant
- Genesis 18:4 Lit support
- Genesis 18:5 Lit take
- Genesis 18:5 Lit sustain your heart
- Genesis 18:5 Lit come to
- Genesis 18:6 Lit Hasten three measures
- Genesis 18:6 Heb seah; i.e. one seah equals approx eleven qts
- Genesis 18:7 Lit good
- Genesis 18:8 Lit and
- Genesis 18:10 Lit when the time revives
- Genesis 18:11 Lit the manner of women
- Genesis 18:12 Lit within
- Genesis 18:13 Lit surely bear
- Genesis 18:14 Or wonderful
- Genesis 18:14 Lit when the time revives
- Genesis 18:18 Or populous
- Genesis 18:19 Lit known
- Genesis 18:24 Or forgive
- Genesis 18:25 Lit after this manner
- Genesis 18:25 Lit do justice
- Genesis 18:26 Or forgive
- Genesis 18:27 Lit undertaken
- Genesis 18:31 Lit undertaken
Cross references
- Genesis 18:1 : Gen 12:7; 17:1
- Genesis 18:1 : Gen 13:18; 14:13
- Genesis 18:2 : Gen 18:16, 22; 32:24; Josh 5:13; Judg 13:6-11; Heb 13:2
- Genesis 18:4 : Gen 19:2; 24:32; 43:24
- Genesis 18:5 : Judg 6:18, 19; 13:15, 16
- Genesis 18:10 : Gen 21:2; Rom 9:9
- Genesis 18:11 : Gen 17:17; Rom 4:19
- Genesis 18:11 : Heb 11:11
- Genesis 18:12 : Gen 17:17; Luke 1:18
- Genesis 18:12 : 1 Pet 3:6
- Genesis 18:14 : Jer 32:17, 27; Zech 8:6; Matt 19:26; Luke 1:37; Rom 4:21
- Genesis 18:14 : Gen 17:21; 18:10
- Genesis 18:16 : Gen 18:2, 22; 19:1
- Genesis 18:17 : Gen 18:22, 26, 33; Amos 3:7
- Genesis 18:17 : Gen 18:21; 19:24
- Genesis 18:18 : Gen 12:3; 22:18; Acts 3:25; Gal 3:8
- Genesis 18:19 : Neh 9:7; Amos 3:2
- Genesis 18:19 : Deut 6:6, 7
- Genesis 18:19 : Gen 17:9
- Genesis 18:19 : Gen 12:2, 3
- Genesis 18:20 : Gen 19:13; Ezek 16:49, 50
- Genesis 18:21 : Gen 11:5; Ex 3:8; Ps 14:2
- Genesis 18:22 : Gen 18:16; 19:1
- Genesis 18:22 : Gen 18:1, 17
- Genesis 18:23 : Ex 23:7; Num 16:22; 2 Sam 24:17; Ps 11:4-7
- Genesis 18:25 : Deut 1:16, 17; 32:4; Job 8:3, 20; Ps 58:11; 94:2; Is 3:10, 11; Rom 3:5, 6
- Genesis 18:26 : Jer 5:1
- Genesis 18:27 : Gen 3:19; Job 30:19; 42:6
- Genesis 18:32 : Judg 6:39
- Genesis 18:33 : Gen 17:22; 35:13