The Three Visitors
1The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,18:3 Or eyes, Lord do not pass your servant by. 4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he said.
10Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
15Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20) 19For 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 will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
20Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham 23Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26 the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
29Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
30Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
33When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
上帝应许撒拉生子
1耶和华在幔利的橡树那里向亚伯拉罕显现。那时天气很热，亚伯拉罕坐在帐篷口， 2抬头看见三个人站在对面，就从帐篷口跑去迎接他们，俯伏在地， 3说：“我主，若我在你面前蒙恩，请不要从仆人这里走过去。 4我让人拿点水来，你们洗洗脚，在树下歇一会儿。 5你们既然路过仆人这里，我拿点饼来，你们补充一下体力再上路吧。”他们说：“好，就照你说的做吧！”
6于是，亚伯拉罕连忙进帐篷对撒拉说：“快准备三斗18:6 “三斗”希伯来文是“三细亚”，大约是十公斤。细面粉，和面烤饼。” 7亚伯拉罕又跑到牛群中牵了一头肥嫩的小牛，交给仆人赶快去准备。 8亚伯拉罕把奶、奶酪和准备好的牛肉摆在他们面前，自己在树荫下侍立一旁，伺候他们用餐。
9他们问亚伯拉罕：“你妻子撒拉在哪里？”亚伯拉罕回答说：“在帐篷里。” 10其中一人说：“明年这时候，我必回到你这里，撒拉必生一个儿子。”撒拉在那人后面的帐篷口听见了。 11亚伯拉罕和撒拉已经年纪老迈，撒拉早已绝经。 12撒拉暗自发笑，心想：“我已经老了，还会有这种福气吗？况且我的丈夫也老了。” 13耶和华问亚伯拉罕：“撒拉为什么偷笑说，‘我这把年纪还会有孩子吗？’ 14什么事能难得了耶和华呢？明年这时候，我必回到你这里，撒拉必生一个儿子。” 15撒拉听见后非常害怕，连忙否认说：“我没有笑！”但耶和华说：“不，你确实笑了。”
亚伯拉罕为所多玛求情
16那三个人起身朝所多玛眺望，亚伯拉罕与他们同行，要送他们一程。 17耶和华说：“我要做的事怎么可以瞒着亚伯拉罕呢？ 18亚伯拉罕必成为强盛的大国，天下万国必因他而蒙福。 19我拣选了他，是要他教导自己的子孙后代持守我的道、秉公行义。这样，我必实现对他的应许。” 20耶和华说：“所多玛和蛾摩拉罪恶深重，人们怨声载道。 21我现在要下去看看他们的恶行是否如我听到的控诉一样，如果不是，我也会知道。”
22其中二人转身向所多玛走去，亚伯拉罕却仍旧站在耶和华面前。 23亚伯拉罕上前说：“你要把义人和恶人一同毁灭吗？ 24倘若城中有五十个义人，你还要毁灭那城吗？你会不会为了五十个义人而饶恕那座城呢？ 25你绝不会黑白不分，把义人和恶人一同毁灭。你绝不会这么做！你是普天下的审判者，难道不秉公行事吗？” 26耶和华回答说：“我若在所多玛城中找到五十个义人，就因他们的缘故饶恕全城。” 27亚伯拉罕说：“主啊，我虽然渺小如灰尘，还斗胆问你， 28倘若只有四十五个义人，你会因为少了五个义人而毁灭全城吗？”耶和华说：“我若在城里找到四十五个义人，也不会毁灭那城。” 29亚伯拉罕又说：“倘若在那里找到四十个义人呢？”耶和华说：“为了那四十个人的缘故，我不会毁灭那城。” 30亚伯拉罕说：“求主不要发怒，容许我再问一次，倘若在那里只找到三十个义人呢？”耶和华说：“倘若在那里只找到三十个，我也不会毁灭那城。” 31亚伯拉罕说：“我大胆再问一次，倘若在那里只找到二十个义人呢？”耶和华说：“为了那二十个人的缘故，我也不会毁灭那城。” 32亚伯拉罕又说：“求主不要发怒，让我问最后一次，倘若在那里只找到十个义人呢？”耶和华说：“为了那十个人的缘故，我也不会毁灭那城。” 33耶和华跟亚伯拉罕说完话便离开了，亚伯拉罕也回家去了。
