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.
上帝應許撒拉生子
1耶和華在幔利的橡樹那裡向亞伯拉罕顯現。那時天氣很熱，亞伯拉罕坐在帳篷口， 2抬頭看見三個人站在對面，就從帳篷口跑去迎接他們，俯伏在地， 3說：「我主，若我在你面前蒙恩，請不要從僕人這裡走過去。 4我讓人拿點水來，你們洗洗腳，在樹下歇一會兒。 5你們既然路過僕人這裡，我拿點餅來，你們補充一下體力再上路吧。」他們說：「好，就照你說的做吧！」
6於是，亞伯拉罕連忙進帳篷對撒拉說：「快準備三斗18·6 「三斗」希伯來文是「三細亞」，大約是十公斤。細麵粉，和麵烤餅。」 7亞伯拉罕又跑到牛群中牽了一頭肥嫩的小牛，交給僕人趕快去準備。 8亞伯拉罕把奶、乳酪和準備好的牛肉擺在他們面前，自己在樹蔭下侍立一旁，伺候他們用餐。
9他們問亞伯拉罕：「你妻子撒拉在哪裡？」亞伯拉罕回答說：「在帳篷裡。」 10其中一人說：「明年這時候，我必回到你這裡，撒拉必生一個兒子。」撒拉在那人後面的帳篷口聽見了。 11亞伯拉罕和撒拉已經年紀老邁，撒拉早已絕經。 12撒拉暗自發笑，心想：「我已經老了，還會有這種福氣嗎？況且我的丈夫也老了。」 13耶和華問亞伯拉罕：「撒拉為什麼偷笑說，『我這把年紀還會有孩子嗎？』 14什麼事能難得了耶和華呢？明年這時候，我必回到你這裡，撒拉必生一個兒子。」 15撒拉聽見後非常害怕，連忙否認說：「我沒有笑！」但耶和華說：「不，你確實笑了。」
亞伯拉罕為所多瑪求情
16那三個人起身朝所多瑪眺望，亞伯拉罕與他們同行，要送他們一程。 17耶和華說：「我要做的事怎麼可以瞞著亞伯拉罕呢？ 18亞伯拉罕必成為強盛的大國，天下萬國必因他而蒙福。 19我揀選了他，是要他教導自己的子孫後代持守我的道、秉公行義。這樣，我必實現對他的應許。」 20耶和華說：「所多瑪和蛾摩拉罪惡深重，人們怨聲載道。 21我現在要下去看看他們的惡行是否如我聽到的控訴一樣，如果不是，我也會知道。」
22其中二人轉身向所多瑪走去，亞伯拉罕卻仍舊站在耶和華面前。 23亞伯拉罕上前說：「你要把義人和惡人一同毀滅嗎？ 24倘若城中有五十個義人，你還要毀滅那城嗎？你會不會為了五十個義人而饒恕那座城呢？ 25你絕不會黑白不分，把義人和惡人一同毀滅。你絕不會這麼做！你是普天下的審判者，難道不秉公行事嗎？」 26耶和華回答說：「我若在所多瑪城中找到五十個義人，就因他們的緣故饒恕全城。」 27亞伯拉罕說：「主啊，我雖然渺小如灰塵，還斗膽問你， 28倘若只有四十五個義人，你會因為少了五個義人而毀滅全城嗎？」耶和華說：「我若在城裡找到四十五個義人，也不會毀滅那城。」 29亞伯拉罕又說：「倘若在那裡找到四十個義人呢？」耶和華說：「為了那四十個人的緣故，我不會毀滅那城。」 30亞伯拉罕說：「求主不要發怒，容許我再問一次，倘若在那裡只找到三十個義人呢？」耶和華說：「倘若在那裡只找到三十個，我也不會毀滅那城。」 31亞伯拉罕說：「我大膽再問一次，倘若在那裡只找到二十個義人呢？」耶和華說：「為了那二十個人的緣故，我也不會毀滅那城。」 32亞伯拉罕又說：「求主不要發怒，讓我問最後一次，倘若在那裡只找到十個義人呢？」耶和華說：「為了那十個人的緣故，我也不會毀滅那城。」 33耶和華跟亞伯拉罕說完話便離開了，亞伯拉罕也回家去了。
