Genesis 18

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

In the vast, open fields of Mamre, God revealed Himself to him. As he rested at the entrance of his tent, under the scorching midday sun, he felt the divine presence.

And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

With a sudden lift of his gaze, he saw three men standing nearby. A rush of surprise and curiosity filled him. Leaving his tent, he hurried towards them, his heart pounding. As he neared, he bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the earth.

And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

My Lord, if I have earned your grace, please, I beg you, don't leave your humble servant.

Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Please, bring a bit of water. Cleanse your weary feet and find comfort under the shade of the tree.

And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

I'll bring you a piece of bread to soothe your weary hearts. Once you're refreshed, you can continue your journey. That's why you've come to me, isn't it? They agreed, saying, "Please do as you've promised."

And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

With urgency, Abraham rushed to Sarah in the tent, imploring, "Quickly, prepare three portions of our best flour, knead it into dough, and bake cakes on the hearth."

And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

With excitement, Abraham rushed to his herd, quickly choosing a young, healthy calf. He handed it over to a young man, who hurriedly prepared it.

And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

He lovingly served them butter, milk, and the prepared calf under the shade of the tree, watching with satisfaction as they savored each bite.

And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

They asked him, "Where's your wife, Sarah?" He replied, "She's in the tent."

And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

He promised, "I'll surely come back to you about this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah, overhearing this from the entrance of the tent behind him, was filled with a mix of disbelief and hope.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Abraham and Sarah had grown old, their bodies showing the wear of time. Sarah had long since passed the age of bearing children.

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

Sarah chuckled quietly to herself, thinking, "Can I really experience joy in my old age, especially when my husband is also old?"

And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

The Lord asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh in disbelief, questioning if she could really have a child in her old age?"

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Is there anything too challenging for God? At the appointed time, about a year from now, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a son.

Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Sarah, trembling with fear, quickly denied, "I didn't laugh." But he gently corrected her, "No, you did laugh."

And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

The men stood up, their eyes drawn towards Sodom. Abraham, filled with a sense of duty, accompanied them part of the way.

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

With a thoughtful heart, God pondered, "Should I keep my actions hidden from Abraham?"

Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Abraham is destined to rise as a powerful nation, and his influence will bring blessings to all nations on earth.

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

I trust him, for he will guide his family in God's path, ensuring they uphold fairness and righteousness. This way, God's promises to Abraham will be fulfilled.

And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

The Lord declared, deeply moved, "The cries from Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening, their sins, profoundly disturbing."

I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

I will now descend to see if their actions truly match the cries reaching me. If they don't, I will surely find out.

And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

The men turned away, heading towards Sodom, while Abraham remained, standing faithfully in the presence of God.

And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Abraham stepped forward, his voice trembling with concern, "Would you really wipe out the good along with the bad?"

Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

If there are fifty good people in the city, would you still destroy it? Wouldn't you spare it for the sake of those fifty?

That be far from thee to 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: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

It's unthinkable for you to act this way, to kill the innocent along with the guilty. It's not like you to treat the good and bad alike. Surely, the Judge of all the earth will ensure justice, right?

And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

The Lord declared, "If I discover just fifty good souls in Sodom, I'll save the entire city for them."

And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:

With humility, Abraham responded, "I dare to speak to the Lord, even though I am nothing more than dust and ashes."

Peradventure there shall lack five of the 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 it.

Perhaps only five righteous people are missing from the fifty. Would you really destroy the entire city just because of these five? God replied, "If I find forty-five good souls, I promise, I won't destroy the city."

And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

He spoke to him once more, asking, "What if only forty are found?" He replied, "For the sake of forty, I won't do it."

And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

He pleaded, "Please, don't let God be upset. Let me say this: what if there are thirty good people there?" God replied, "If I find thirty, I won't destroy it."

And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

He bravely declared, "I've chosen to speak to God. Maybe there are twenty good souls there." God replied, "For those twenty, I won't bring destruction."

And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

He pleaded, "Please, don't let God be upset, I'll only ask once more: what if there are ten good people there?" God replied, "For the sake of those ten, I won't destroy it."

And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

After speaking with Abraham, the LORD departed. Feeling a sense of peace, Abraham went back to his home.