Genesis 18

The Three Visitors

1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was chilling at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day.

2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He ran to meet them, bowed low, and said,

3 ‘My Lord, if I have found favor with You, do not pass me by.’

4 ‘Let me get some water so you all can wash your feet and rest under this tree.’

5 ‘I will grab some food to keep you strong before you continue on your way.’ They said, ‘Alright, do what you said.’

6 Abraham rushed into the tent and told Sarah, ‘Quick, make some fresh bread with the finest flour!’

7 He ran to his herd, picked out a choice calf, and told a servant to prepare it.

8 Then he served them curds, milk, and the cooked calf. While they ate, he stood near them under the tree.

The Promise of a Son

9 They asked, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ Abraham said, ‘She is in the tent.’

10 Then one of them said, ‘I will come back around this time next year, and Sarah is going to have a son.’ Sarah was eavesdropping at the tent door.

11 Abraham and Sarah were old, like, really old, and Sarah was not about that childbearing life anymore.

12 She laughed to herself and thought, ‘Me, Have a baby at my age, And my husband is old too!’

13 The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why is Sarah laughing, Does she think I cannot do this?’

14 ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord, I will be back next year, and she will have a son.’

15 Sarah tried to deny it and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But God said, ‘Yeah, you did.’

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked toward Sodom, and Abraham walked with them to send them off.

17 The Lord said, ‘Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’

18 ‘Abraham is going to become a great and powerful nation, and all nations will be blessed through him.’

19 ‘I chose him to teach his family and future generations to follow Me, do what is right, and live justly. Then I will do what I promised him.’

20 The Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is loud, and their sin is off the charts.’

21 ‘I am going down to check it out and see if what I am hearing is as bad as it sounds.’

22 The men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham stayed with the Lord.

23 Abraham said, ‘Lord, are You really going to wipe out the righteous with the wicked,’

24 ‘What if there are 50 righteous people in the city, Will You spare it for their sake?’

25 ‘You are the Judge of all the earth! Surely You will not destroy the innocent with the guilty.’

26 The Lord said, ‘If I find 50 righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.’

27 Abraham said, ‘I am just dust and ashes, but let me ask again. What if there is only 45 righteous people,’

28 The Lord said, ‘If I find 45, I will not destroy it.’

29 Abraham said, ‘What about 40?’ God said, ‘I will not do it for 40.’

30 Abraham said, ‘Do not get mad, Lord, but what if there is 30?’ God said, ‘I will not do it if there is 30.’

31 Abraham said, ‘What about 20?’ God said, ‘I will not destroy it for 20.’

32 Abraham said, ‘Okay, last one. What if there is only 10,’ God said, ‘I will not destroy it if there is 10.’

33 When the conversation was over, the Lord left, and Abraham went back home.