Genesis 18:10-33 — Legacy Standard Bible

¹⁰And He said, “^aI will surely return to you ¹at 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. ¹¹Now ^aAbraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was ^bpast ¹childbearing. ¹²And Sarah laughed ¹to herself, saying, “^aAfter I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my ^blord being old also?” ¹³And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed ¹bear a son, when I am so old?’ ¹⁴“^aIs anything too ¹difficult for Yahweh? At the ^bappointed time I will return to you, ²at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵Then Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Yahweh and Abraham Speak About Sodom

¹⁶Then ^athe men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. ¹⁷^aNow Yahweh said, “Shall I conceal from Abraham ^bwhat I am about to do, ¹⁸since Abraham will surely become a great and ¹mighty nation, and in him ^aall the nations of the earth will be blessed? ¹⁹“For I have ¹^,^aknown him, so that he may ^bcommand his children and his household after him, ^cthat they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham ^dwhat He has spoken about him.” ²⁰So Yahweh said, “^aThe outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. ²¹“I will ^ago down now and see whether they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

²²Then ^athe men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before ^bYahweh. ²³Then Abraham came near and said, “^aWill 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 ¹spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵“Far be it from You to do ¹such a thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not ^athe Judge of all the earth do justice?” ²⁶So Yahweh said, “^aIf I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will ¹spare the whole place on their account.” ²⁷And Abraham answered and said, “Now behold, I have ¹ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but ^adust 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.” ²⁹Then 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.” ³⁰Then 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.” ³¹And he said, “Now behold, I have ¹ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” ³²Then he said, “^aOh 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.” ³³And as soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham, ^aYahweh departed, and Abraham returned to his place.