Genesis 18 Intro: The Lord appears to Abraham -- Lot being warned of God, flees.
1 And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre. And he sat in his tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him; and when he saw, he ran to meet them from his tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said;
3 My brethren, if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away I pray you from thy servant.
4 Let a little water I pray you be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that you shall pass on; for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
5 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead, and make cakes upon the hearth.
6 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hasted to dress it.
7 And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set them before them, and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
8 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
9 And one of them blessed Abraham, and he said, I will certainly return unto thee from my journey, and lo, according to the time of life, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.
10 And Sarah heard him, in the tent door.
11 And now Abraham and Sarah being old, and stricken in age; therefore it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women;
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the angel of the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord?
14 At the time appointed, behold, I will return unto thee from my journey, which the Lord hath sent me; and according to the time of life thou mayest know that Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh.
16 And the angels rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the angel of the Lord, said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which the Lord will do for him; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18 For I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.
19 And the angel of the Lord said unto Abraham, The Lord said unto us, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will destroy them.
20 And I will send you, and ye shall go down now, and see that their iniquities are rewarded unto them.
21 And ye shall have all things done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me.
22 And if ye do it not, it shall be upon your heads; for I will destroy them, and you shall know that I will do it, for it shall be before your eyes.
23 And the angels which were holy men, and were sent forth after the order of God, turned their faces from thence and went toward Sodom.
24 But Abraham stood yet before the Lord, remembering the things which had been told him.
25 And Abraham drew near to Sodom, and said unto the Lord, calling upon his name, saying, Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? Wilt thou not spare them?
26 Peradventure there may be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that may be therein?
27 O may that be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked.
28 O God, may that be far from thee, for shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
29 And the Lord said unto Abraham, If thou findest in Sodom, fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
30 And Abraham answered and said, Behold, now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which is able to destroy the city, and lay all the people in dust and ashes;
31 Will the Lord spare them peradventure there lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt thou destroy all the city for their wickedness, if I find there forty and five righteous?
32 And he said, I will not destroy, but spare them.
33 And he spake unto him again, and said, Peradventure there should be forty found there?
34 And he said, I will not destroy it for forty's sake.
35 And he said again unto the Lord, O, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there?
36 And he said, I will not destroy them if thou shalt find thirty there.
37 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord; wilt thou destroy them if peradventure there shall twenty be found there?
38 And he said, I will not destroy them for twenty's sake.
39 And Abraham said unto the Lord, O, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once, peradventure ten shall be found there?
40 And the Lord said, I will not destroy them for ten's sake. And the Lord ceased speaking with Abraham.
41 And as soon as he had left communing with the Lord, Abraham went his way.
42 And it came to pass that Abraham returned unto his tent.
