1And God appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the entrance of the tent, and bowed himself to the earth, 3and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not go on past your servant. 4Now let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5I will get a bit of food so you may refresh yourselves. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said." 6Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly, get three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread." 7Abraham ran to the herd, and took a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8He took curds, milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9They said to him, "Where is Sarah, your wife? He said, "See, in the tent." 10Then he said, "I will certainly return to you at the time of life. Look, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah heard from the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my husband being old also?" 13God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child when I am old?' 14Is anything too difficult for God? At the set time I will return to you, at the time of life, and Sarah will have a son." 15But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

16The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way. 17And God said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him? 19For I have made myself known to him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of God, to do righteousness and justice, so that God may bring to Abraham that which he has spoken to him." 20God said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is so grievous, 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done entirely according to the outcry which has come to me. And if not, I will know."

22The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before God. 23Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you sweep it away and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26God said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake." 27Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there." 29He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake." 30He said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." 31He said, "Look, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake." 32He said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake." 33When he finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned to his place.