¹ And the Lord appeared to him in the vale of Mambre as he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day.

² And when he had lifted up his eyes, there appeared to him three men standing near to him: and as soon as he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and adored down to the ground.

³ And he said: Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away from thy servant.

⁴ But I will fetch a little water, and wash ye your feet, and rest ye under the tree.

⁵ And I will set a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart, afterwards you shall pass on: for therefore are you come aside to your servant. And they said: Do as thou hast spoken.

⁶ Abraham made haste into the tent to Sara, and said to her: Make haste, temper together three measures of flour, and make cakes upon the hearth.

⁷ And he himself ran to the herd, and took from thence a calf, very tender and very good, and gave it to a young man, who made haste and boiled it.

⁸ He took also butter and milk, and the calf which he had boiled, and set before them: but he stood by them under the tree.

⁹ And when they had eaten, they said to him: Where is Sara thy wife? He answered: Lo she is in the tent.

¹⁰ And he said to him: I will return and come to thee at this time, life accompanying, and Sara, thy wife, shall have a son. Which when Sara heard, she laughed behind the door of the tent.

¹¹ Now they were both old, and far advanced in years, and it had ceased to be with Sara after the manner of women.

¹² And she laughed secretly, saying: After I am grown old, and my lord is an old man, shall I give myself to pleasure?

¹³ And the Lord said to Abraham: Why did Sara laugh, saying: Shall I, who am an old woman, bear a child indeed?

¹⁴ Is there any thing hard to God? According to appointment I will return to thee at this same time, life accompanying, and Sara shall have a son.

¹⁵ Sara denied, saying: I did not laugh: for she was afraid. But the Lord said: Nay; but thou didst laugh.

¹⁶ And when the men rose up from thence, they turned their eyes towards Sodom: and Abraham walked with them, bringing them on the way.

¹⁷ And the Lord said: Can I hide from Abraham what I am about to do:

¹⁸ Seeing he shall become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed?

¹⁹ For I know that he will command his children, and his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord, and do judgment and justice: that for Abraham's sake, the Lord may bring to effect all the things he hath spoken unto him.

²⁰ And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous.

²¹ I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come to me; or whether it be not so, that I may know.

²² And they turned themselves from thence, and went their way to Sodom: but Abraham as yet stood before the Lord.

²³ And drawing nigh, he said: Wilt thou destroy the just with the wicked?

²⁴ If there be fifty just men in the city, shall they perish withal? and wilt thou not spare that place for the sake of the fifty just, if they be therein?

²⁵ Far be it from thee to do this thing, and to slay the just with the wicked, and for the just to be in like case as the wicked; this is not beseeming thee: thou who judgest all the earth, wilt not make this judgment.

²⁶ And the Lord said to him: If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.

²⁷ And Abraham answered, and said: Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes.

²⁸ What if there be five less than fifty just persons? wilt thou for five and forty destroy the whole city: And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty.

²⁹ And again he said to him: But if forty be found there, what wilt thou do? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of forty.

³⁰ Lord, saith he, be not angry, I beseech thee, if I speak: What if thirty shall be found there? He answered: I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

³¹ Seeing, saith he, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord: What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.

³² I beseech thee, saith he, be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more: What if ten shall be found there? And he said: I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.

³³ And the Lord departed, after he had left speaking to Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.