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CHAPTER 18
1 Forsooth in the valley of Mamre the Lord appeared to Abraham, sitting in the door of his tabernacle, in that heat of the day.
2 And when Abraham had raised up his eyes, three men appeared to him, and stood nigh [to] him. And when he had seen them, he ran from the door of his tabernacle into the meeting of them, and he worshipped on [the] earth,
3 and said, Lord, if I have found grace in thine eyes, pass thou not thy servant,
4 but I shall bring a little water, and your feet be washed, and rest ye under the tree;
5 and I shall set before you a morsel of bread, and your heart be comforted; afterward ye shall pass [forth]; for therefore be ye bowed aside to your servant. Which said, Do thou as thou hast spoken.
6 Abraham hasted into the tabernacle, to Sarah, and said to her, Haste thou, mix three half bushels of clean flour; and make thou loaves baken under ashes.
7 Forsooth he ran to the drove of beasts, and took thereof a calf most tender and best, and gave to a servant, which hasted, and seethed the calf;
8 and he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had sodden, and set before them; forsooth Abraham stood beside them under the tree. And when they had eaten,
9 they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? He answered, Lo! she is in the tabernacle.
10 To whom the Lord said, I shall turn again, and I shall come to thee in this time, if I live; and Sarah, thy wife, shall have a son. When this was heard, Sarah laughed behind the door of the tabernacle.
11 Forsooth both were old, and of great age, and woman’s terms ceased to be made to Sarah.
12 And she laughed, saying privily, After that I waxed eld [or old], and my lord is eld [or old], shall I give diligence [or busyness] to lust?
13 Forsooth the Lord said to Abraham, Why laughed Sarah, thy wife, saying, Whether I an eld [or old] woman shall bear a child verily?
14 whether anything is hard to God? By the promise I shall turn again to thee in this same time, if I live; and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Sarah was afeared for dread, and denied, saying, I laughed not. Forsooth the Lord said, It is not so, but thou laughedest.
16 Therefore when the men had risen from thence, they dressed the eyes against Sodom; and Abraham went together, leading them forth.
17 And the Lord said, Whether I may cover from Abraham what things I shall do,
18 since he shall be into a great folk and most strong, and all nations of [the] earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know that Abraham shall command his children, and his house after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, and that they do rightfulness [or rightwiseness] and doom, that the Lord bring for Abraham all things which he spake to Abraham.
20 And so the Lord said, The cry of men of Sodom and of men of Gomorrah is multiplied, and their sin is egregious greatly;
21 I shall come down, and see whether they have [ful] filled in work the cry that came to me, that I know whether it is not so.
22 And they turned them[selves] from thence, and went to Sodom. Abraham soothly stood yet before the Lord,
23 and nighed, and said, Whether thou shalt lose a just man [or the rightwise] with the wicked?
24 if fifty just [or rightwise] men be in the city, shall they perish altogether, and shalt thou not spare that place for fifty just [or rightwise] men, if they be therein?
25 Far be it from thee that thou do this thing, and slay the just [or rightwise] with the wicked, and that a just [or rightwise] man be made as a wicked man; this is not thine that deemest all [the] earth; thou shalt not make this doom.
26 And the Lord said to him, If I shall find in Sodom fifty just [or rightwise] men in the midst of the city, I shall forgive to all the place for them.
27 Abraham answered and said, For I began once, I shall speak to my Lord, since I am dust and ashes;
28 what if less than fifty just [or rightwise] men by five be, shalt thou do away all the city for five and forty? And the Lord said, I shall not do away, if I shall find five and forty there.
29 And again Abraham said to him, But if forty be there, what shalt thou do? The Lord said, I shall not smite for forty.
30 Abraham said, Lord, I beseech, take thou not into indignation, if I speak; what if thirty be found there? The Lord answered, I shall not do, if I shall find thirty there.
31 Abraham said, For I began once, I shall speak to my Lord; what if twenty be found there? The Lord said, I shall not slay for twenty.
32 Abraham said, Lord, I beseech, be thou not wroth, if I speak yet once more; what if ten be found there? The Lord said, I shall not do away for ten.
33 The Lord went forth, after that he [had] ceased to speak to Abraham, and Abraham turned again into his place.

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© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble