1 Un Tas Kungs parādījās viņam pie Mamres ozoliem, kad tas dienas tveicē sēdēja savas telts durvīs. 2 Un viņš pacēla savas acis un skatījās, un raugi, trīs vīri stāvēja viņa priekšā. 3 Tos ieraudzījis, viņš steidzās tiem pretim no telts durvīm, noliecās līdz zemei un sacīja: "Mans Kungs, ja es esmu atradis labvēlību tavās acīs, tad, lūdzams, neej savam kalpam garām. 4 Es likšu atnest drusku ūdens, ko nomazgāt kājas, tad apmetieties zem šī koka. 5 Un es dabūšu kumosu maizes, ka jūs varat savas sirdis stiprināt, pēc jūs varat atkal doties ceļā, jo kādā citā nolūkā tad jūs būtu iegriezušies pie sava kalpa?" Un tie teica: "Labi, dari, kā tu esi sacījis." 6 Un Ābrahāms iesteidzās teltī pie Sāras un sacīja: "Steidzies, paņem trīs mērus miltu no smalkajiem miltiem, iejauc tos un taisi plāceņus." 7 Un Ābrahāms skrēja pie lopiem un paņēma labu un mīkstu telēnu un deva to puisim, steidzinādams to sagatavot. 8 Tad viņš paņēma raudzētu un svaigu pienu un sagatavoto teļu un cēla to viņiem priekšā, bet pats viņš stāvēja pie viņiem zem koka, kamēr viņi ēda. 9 Un tie sacīja viņam: "Bet kur ir Sāra, tava sieva?" Viņš atbildēja: "Lūk, teltī." 10 Bet tas sacīja: "Es atgriezīšos pie tevis pēc gada šinī laikā, un redzi, tavai sievai Sārai būs dēls." Bet Sāra stāvēja, klausīdamās pie telts durvīm, kas bija aiz viņiem. 11 Bet Ābrahāms un Sāra bija jau padzīvojuši, gados veci, un Dievs Sārai jau bija pārtraucis tās norises, kas sievām mēdz būt. 12 Un tad Sāra smējās pie sevis, sacīdama: "Pēc tam kad es esmu sākusi novecot, lai es vēl iedegtos? Un mans kungs jau ir vecs." 13 Un Tas Kungs sacīja uz Ābrahāmu: "Kāpēc tad Sāra smējās, sacīdama: vai es patiešām vēl dzemdēšu, veca būdama? 14 Vai Tam Kungam kaut kas būtu neiespējams? Noliktā laikā Es atgriezīšos pie tevis nākamā gadā, un Sārai būs dēls." 15 Un Sāra meloja, teikdama: "Es neesmu smējusies," - jo viņai bija bailes. Bet Viņš sacīja: "Kā tad ne - tu smējies." 16 Un tie vīri cēlās no turienes un devās uz Sodomas pusi, un Ābrahāms gāja ar viņiem, tos pavadīdams. 17 Un Tas Kungs sacīja: "Vai Man no Ābrahāma būs slēpt, ko Es gribu darīt? 18 Jo Ābrahāmam būs tapt par lielu un varenu tautu, un viņā būs svētītas visas zemes tautas. 19 Es esmu viņu izredzējis, lai viņš saviem bērniem pavēl un savam namam pēc viņa, ka tie sargā Tā Kunga ceļu, lai darītu taisnību un tiesas, ka Tas Kungs liktu nākt pār Ābrahāmu tam, ko Viņš ir sacījis viņam." 20 Un Tas Kungs sacīja: "Brēkšana par Sodomu un Gomoru patiešām ir liela, un viņu apgrēcība ir ļoti smaga. 21 Es iešu un lūkošu, vai viņi ir darījuši pēc tās brēkšanas, kas aizsniegusi Mani, vai ne; to Es gribu uzzināt." 22 Un vīri nogriezās no turienes un gāja uz Sodomu; bet Ābrahāms stāvēja vēl Tā Kunga vaiga priekšā. 23 Un Ābrahāms tuvojās Viņam un sacīja: "Vai Tu tiešām gribi iznīcināt taisno kopā ar bezdievīgo? 24 Varbūt atrastos piecdesmit taisnie šinī pilsētā? Vai Tu tiešām iznīcināsi tos un nesaudzētu šo vietu to piecdesmit taisno dēļ, kas ir viņas vidū? 25 Nemūžam Tu tā nedarīsi, ka liksi mirt taisnajam ar bezdievi, ka taisnais būtu līdzīgs bezdievim. Nemūžam! Vai visas pasaules soģis nedarīs taisni?" 26 Un Tas Kungs sacīja: "Ja Es Sodomas pilsētā atradīšu piecdesmit taisnus, Es saudzēšu visu šo vietu viņu dēļ." 27 Un Ābrahāms atbildēja un sacīja: "Es esmu uzdrošinājies runāt ar savu Kungu, lai gan es esmu pīšļi un pelni. 28 Varbūt pieci iztrūkst no piecdesmit taisniem, vai Tu tad arī šo piecu dēļ iznīcinātu visu pilsētu?" Un Viņš sacīja: "Nē, Es neiznīcināšu, ja atradīšu tur četrdesmit piecus." 29 Un tas turpināja runāt ar Viņu un sacīja: "Var būt, ka tiek atrasti tur četrdesmit." Un Viņš sacīja: "Nē, Es to nedarīšu šo četrdesmit dēļ." 30 Un tas sacīja: "Lūdzams, nedusmojies, mans Kungs, ka es gribu runāt; varbūt tur atrastos trīsdesmit?" Un Viņš sacīja: "Es to nedarīšu, ja tur atrastos trīsdesmit." 31 Un tas sacīja: "Es esmu uzdrošinājies runāt ar savu Kungu; varbūt tur atrastos divdesmit?" Un Viņš sacīja: "Es to neizpostīšu šo divdesmit dēļ." 32 Un tas sacīja: "Kaut nedusmotos mans Kungs. Es runāšu vēl reizi; varbūt atrastos tikai desmit?" Un Viņš atbildēja: "Es to neizpostīšu šo desmit dēļ." 33 Un Tas Kungs aizgāja, kad bija beidzis runāt ar Ābrahāmu. Bet Ābrahāms atgriezās savā vietā.
A Son Is Promised to Abraham
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day, 2 he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground, 3 he said, “Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4 Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5 I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you.”
They replied, “Thank you; we accept.”
6 Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready. 8 He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate.
9 Then they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
“She is there in the tent,” he answered.
10 One of them said, “Nine months from now I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening. 11 Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too.”
13 Then the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. “I didn't laugh,” she said.
“Yes, you did,” he replied. “You laughed.”
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16 Then the men left and went to a place where they could look down at Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17 And the Lord said to himself, “I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18 His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations. 19 I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised.”
20 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21 I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true.”
22 Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached the Lord and asked, “Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24 If there are fifty innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city? Won't you spare it in order to save the fifty? 25 Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly.”
26 The Lord answered, “If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”
27 Abraham spoke again: “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything. 28 But perhaps there will be only forty-five innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?”
The Lord answered, “I will not destroy the city if I find forty-five innocent people.”
29 Abraham spoke again: “Perhaps there will be only forty.”
He replied, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.”
30 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, but I must speak again. What if there are only thirty?”
He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty.”
31 Abraham said, “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. Suppose that only twenty are found?”
He said, “I will not destroy the city if I find twenty.”
32 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak only once more. What if only ten are found?”
He said, “I will not destroy it if there are ten.” 33 After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the Lord went away, and Abraham returned home.
