Genesis chapter .xviij.
¶ And the LORD appeared unto him in the oak grove of Mamre as he sat in his tent door in the heat of the day.
And he lift up his eyes and looked: and lo, three men stood not far from him. And when he saw them, he ran against them from the tent door, and fell to the ground
and said: Lord if I have found favour in thy sight, go not by thy servant.
Let a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest your selves under the tree:
And I will fetch a morsel of bread, to comfort your hearts withal. And then go your ways, for even therefore are ye come to your servant. And they answered: Do even so as thou hast said.
And Abraham went a pace into his tent unto Sara and said: make ready at once three pecks of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.
And Abraham ran unto his beasts and fetched a calf that was tender and good, and gave it unto a young man which made it ready at once.
And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and stood himself by them under the tree: and they ate.
¶ And they said unto him: Where is Sara thy wife? And he said: in the tent.
And he said: I will come again unto thee as soon as the fruit can live. And lo: Sara thy wife shall have a son. That heard Sara, out of the tent door which was behind his back.
Abraham and Sara were both old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sara after the manner as it is with wives.
And Sara laughed in her self saying: Now I am waxed old, shall I give my self to lust, and my lord old also?
Then said the LORD unto Abraha: wherefore doth Sara laugh saying: shall I of a surety bear a child, now when I am old?
is the thing too hard for the LORD to do? In the time appointed will I return unto thee, as soon as the fruit can have life. And Sara shall have a son.
Then Sara denied it saying: I laughed not, for she was afraid. But he said: yes thou laughtest.
¶ Then the men stood up from thence and looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
And the LORD said: Can I hide from Abraham that thing which I am about to do,
seeing that Abraham shall be a great and a mighty people, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do after right and conscience, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that he hath promised him.
And the LORD said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorra is great, and their sin is exceeding grievous.
I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to that cry which is come unto me or not, that I may know.
And the men departed thence and went to Sodomward. But Abraham stood yet before the LORD,
¶ and drew near and said Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked?
If there be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou destroy it and not spare the place for the sake of fifty righteous that are therein?
That be far from thee, that thou shouldest do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the wicked: that be far from thee. Should not the Iudge of all the world do according to right?
And the LORD said: If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, I will spare all the place for their sakes.
And Abraham answered and said: behold I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, and yet am but dust and ashes.
What though there lack five of fifty righteous, wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said: If I find there forty and five I will not destroy them.
And he spake unto him yet again and said: what if there be forty found there: And he said: I will not do it for forty's sake.
And he said: O let not my Lord be angry, that I speak. What if there be found thirty there? And he said: I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And he said: Oh, see, I have begun to speak unto my Lord, what if there be twenty found there? And he said: I will not destroy them for twenty's sake.
And he said: O let not my Lord be angry, that I speak yet, but even once more only. What if ten be found there? And he said: I will not destroy them for ten's sake.
And the LORD went his way as soon as he had left communing with Abraham. And Abraham returned unto his place.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.