Genesis 18

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Then the Lord appeared to him, in the steep valley of Mamre, when he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day.	1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.
2 And when he had lifted up his eyes, there appeared to him three men, standing near him. When he had seen them, he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and he reverenced them on the ground.	2 Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground,
3 And he said: “If I, O lord, have found grace in your eyes, do not pass by your servant.	3 he said: "Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant.
4 But I will bring a little water, and you may wash your feet and rest under the tree.	4 Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will set out a meal of bread, so that you may strengthen your heart; after this you will pass on. It is for this reason that you have turned aside to your servant.” And they said, “Do as you have spoken.”	5 Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way." "Very well," they replied, "do as you have said."
6 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and he said to her, “Quickly, mix together three measures of the finest wheat flour and make loaves baked under the ashes.”	6 Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick, three seahs of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."
7 In truth, he himself ran to the herd, and he took a calf from there, very tender and very good, and he gave it to a servant, who hurried and boiled it.	7 He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
8 Likewise, he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had boiled, and he placed it before them. Yet truly, he himself stood near them under the tree.	8 Then he got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared, and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.
9 And when they had eaten, they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He answered, “Behold, she is in the tent.”	9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There in the tent," he replied.
10 And he said to him, “When returning, I will come to you at this time, with life as a companion, and your wife Sarah will have a son.” Hearing this, Sarah laughed behind the door of the tent.	10 One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son." Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him.
11 Now they were both old, and in an advanced state of life, and it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.	11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods.
12 And she laughed secretly, saying, “After I have grown old, and my lord is elderly, shall I give myself to the work of delight?”	12 So Sarah laughed to herself and said, "Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?"
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh, saying: ‘How can I, an old woman, actually give birth?’	13 But the LORD said to Abraham: "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?'
14 Is anything difficult for God? According to the announcement, he will return to you at this same time, with life as a companion, and Sarah will have a son.”	14 Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son."
15 Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh.” For she was terribly afraid. But the Lord said, “It is not so; for you did laugh.”	15 Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, "I didn't laugh." But he said, "Yes you did."
16 Therefore, when the men had risen up from there, they directed their eyes against Sodom. And Abraham traveled with them, leading them.	16 The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom; Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
17 And the Lord said: “How could I hide what I am about to do from Abraham,	17 The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
18 since he will become a great and very robust nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?	18 now that he is to become a great and populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
19 For I know that he will instruct his sons, and his household after him, to keep to the way of the Lord, and to act with judgment and justice, so that, for the sake of Abraham, the Lord may bring about all the things that he has spoken to him.”	19 Indeed, I have singled him out that he may direct his sons and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham the promises he made about him."
20 And so the Lord said, “The outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah has been multiplied, and their sin has become exceedingly grievous.	20 Then the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave,
21 I will descend and see whether they have fulfilled the work of the outcry that has reached me, or whether it is not so, in order that I may know.”	21 that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out."
22 And they turned themselves from there, and they went toward Sodom. Yet in truth, Abraham still stood in the sight of the Lord.	22 While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
23 And as they drew near, he said: “Will you destroy the just with the impious?	23 Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
24 If there were fifty of the just in the city, will they perish with the rest? And will you not spare that place for the sake of fifty of the just, if they were in it?	24 Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
25 Far be it from you to do this thing, and to kill the just with the impious, and for the just to be treated like the impious. No, this is not like you. You judge all the earth; you would never make such a judgment.”	25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"
26 And the Lord said to him, “If I find in Sodom fifty of the just in the midst of the city, I will release the entire place because of them.”	26 The LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
27 And Abraham responded by saying: “Since now I have begun, I will speak to my Lord, though I am dust and ashes.	27 Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes!
28 What if there were five less than fifty of the just? Would you, despite the forty-five, eliminate the entire city?” And he said, “I will not eliminate it, if I find forty-five there.”	28 What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "if I find forty-five there."
29 And again he said to him, “But if forty were found there, what would you do?” He said, “I will not strike, for the sake of the forty.”	29 But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty."
30 “I ask you,” he said, “not to be angry, Lord, if I speak. What if thirty were found there?” He responded, “I will not act, if I find thirty there.”	30 Then he said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there."
31 “Since now I have begun,” he said, “I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty were found there?” He said, “I will not put to death, for the sake of the twenty.”	31 Still he went on, "Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "for the sake of the twenty."
32 “I beg you,” he said, “not to be angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more. What if ten were found there?” And he said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”	32 But he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?" "For the sake of those ten," he replied, "I will not destroy it."
33 And the Lord departed, after he had ceased speaking to Abraham, who then returned to his place.	33 The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.