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Genesis 16-19
New American Standard Bible
Genesis 16-19
New American Standard Bible
Sarai and Hagar
16 Now (A)Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him a child, but she had (B)an Egyptian slave woman whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. (C)Please have relations with my slave woman; perhaps I will [a]obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And so after Abram had lived (D)ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave woman, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4 Then he had relations with Hagar, and she conceived; and when Hagar became aware that she had conceived, her mistress was insignificant in her sight. 5 So Sarai said to Abram, “(E)May the wrong done to me be upon you! I put my slave woman into your [b]arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was insignificant in her [c]sight. (F)May the Lord judge between [d]you and me.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave woman is in your [e]power; do to her what is good in your [f]sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and (G)she fled from her presence.
7 Now (H)the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to (I)Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave woman, (J)from where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9 So the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit [g]to her authority.” 10 The (K)angel of the Lord also said to her, “(L)I will greatly multiply your [h]descendants so that [i]they will be too many to count.” 11 The angel of the Lord said to her further,
“Behold, you are pregnant,
And you will give birth to a son;
And you shall name him [j]Ishmael,
Because (M)the Lord has heard your affliction.
12 But he will be a (N)wild donkey of a man;
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live [k](O)in defiance of all his brothers.”
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “[l]You are [m]a God who sees me”; for she said, “(P)Have I even seen Him here and lived after [n]He saw me?” 14 Therefore the well was called [o]Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between (Q)Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore a son to Abram; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth, Ishmael. 16 Abram was (R)eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to [p]him.
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
17 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, (S)the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am [q]God (T)Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be [r](U)blameless.
2 I will [s]make My (V)covenant between Me and you,
And I will (W)multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Abram (X)fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a (Y)multitude of nations.
5 No longer shall you be named [t]Abram,
But (Z)your name shall be [u]Abraham;
For (AA)I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and (AB)kings will come from you. 7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your [v]descendants after you throughout their generations as an (AC)everlasting covenant, (AD)to be God to you and (AE)to your [w]descendants after you. 8 And (AF)I will give to you and to your [x]descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and (AG)I will be their God.”
9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, (AH)you shall keep My covenant, you and your [y]descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 (AI)This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your [z]descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And (AJ)you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is (AK)eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, including a slave who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your [aa]descendants. 13 A slave who is born in your house or (AL)who is bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised; so My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 But as for an uncircumcised male, one who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be (AM)cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name [ab]Sarai, but [ac]Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you (AN)a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; (AO)kings of peoples will [ad]come from her.” 17 Then Abraham (AP)fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And (AQ)will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but your wife Sarah will bear you (AR)a son, and you shall name him [ae]Isaac; and (AS)I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his [af]descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and (AT)make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. (AU)He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a (AV)great nation. 21 But I will establish My covenant with (AW)Isaac, whom (AX)Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22 When He finished talking with him, (AY)God went up from Abraham.
23 Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all the slaves who were (AZ)born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on this very same day, (BA)as God had said to him. 24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when (BB)he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And his son (BC)Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 On this very same day Abraham was circumcised, as well as his son Ishmael. 27 And all the men of his household, those who were (BD)born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Birth of Isaac Promised
18 Now (BE)the Lord appeared to [ag]Abraham by the [ah](BF)oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he raised his eyes and looked, behold, three (BG)men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed down to the ground, 3 and said, “[ai]My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not [aj]pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and (BH)wash [ak]your feet, and make yourselves comfortable under the tree; 5 and I will [al](BI)bring a piece of bread, so that you may [am]refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have [an]visited your servant.” And they said, “So do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “[ao]Quickly, prepare three [ap]measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and [aq]choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree [ar]as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “(BJ)I will certainly return to you [as]at this time next year; and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now (BK)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was (BL)past [at]childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed [au]to herself, saying, “(BM)After I have become old, am I to have pleasure, my (BN)lord being old also?” 13 But the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child, when I am so old?’ 14 (BO)Is anything too [av]difficult for the Lord? At the (BP)appointed time I will return to you, [aw]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah denied it, however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
16 Then (BQ)the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 (BR)The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham (BS)what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will certainly become a great and [ax]mighty nation, and in him (BT)all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have [ay](BU)chosen him, so that he may (BV)command his children and his household after him to (BW)keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham (BX)what He has spoken about him.” 20 And the Lord said, “(BY)The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will (BZ)go down now and see whether they have done entirely as the outcry, which has come to Me indicates; and if not, I will know.”
Abraham Appeals for Sodom
22 Then (CA)the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before (CB)the Lord. 23 Abraham approached and said, “(CC)Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous people within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not [az]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do [ba]such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not (CD)the Judge of all the earth [bb]deal justly?” 26 So the Lord said, “(CE)If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will [bc]spare the entire place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have [bd]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am only (CF)dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the entire city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Now behold, I have [be]ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “(CG)Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once: suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham (CH)the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
The Doom of Sodom
19 Now the (CI)two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When (CJ)Lot saw them, he stood up to meet them and [bf]bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No, but we shall spend the night in the public square.” 3 Yet he strongly urged them, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; (CK)and he prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, (CL)the men of the city—the men of Sodom—surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people [bg]from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “(CM)Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may [bh]have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 Now look, (CN)I have two daughters who have not [bi]had relations with any man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them [bj]whatever you like; only do not do anything to these men, because they have come under the [bk]shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Get out of the way!” They also said, “This one came in [bl]as a foreigner, and already (CO)he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them!” So they pressed hard against [bm]Lot and moved forward to break the door. 10 But (CP)the men reached out their [bn]hands and brought Lot into the house [bo]with them, and shut the door. 11 Then (CQ)they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, from the small to the great, so that they became weary of trying to find the doorway.
12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else do you have here? A son-in-law and your sons and daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because (CR)their outcry has become so great before the Lord that (CS)the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who [bp]were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, (CT)get out of this place, for the Lord is destroying the city.” (CU)But he appeared to his sons-in-law [bq]to be joking.
15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the [br]punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men (CV)grasped his hand and the hand of his wife and the [bs]hands of his two daughters, because (CW)the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out and put him outside the city. 17 When they had brought them outside, [bt]one said, “(CX)Escape for your life! (CY)Do not look behind you, and do not stay [bu]anywhere in the (CZ)surrounding area; escape to (DA)the [bv]mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18 But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19 Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your compassion, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the [bw]mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) [bx]so that my life may be saved.” 21 And he said to him, “Behold, I grant you this [by]request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the town was named [bz](DB)Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the Lord (DC)rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and (DD)He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But [ca]Lot’s wife, from behind him, (DE)looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Now Abraham got up early in the morning and went to (DF)the place where he had stood before the Lord; 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the surrounding area; and [cb]behold, he saw (DG)the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a [cc]furnace.
29 So it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the surrounding area, that (DH)God remembered Abraham, and (DI)sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
Lot and His Daughters
30 Now Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and (DJ)stayed in the [cd]mountains, because he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man [ce]on earth to [cf](DK)have relations with us according to the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, (DL)let’s make our father drink wine, and let’s sleep with him so that we may keep [cg]our family alive through our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and slept with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or got up. 34 On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Look, I slept last night with my father; let’s make him drink wine tonight too, then you go in and sleep with him, so that we may keep [ch]our family alive through our father.” 35 So they had their father drink wine that night too, and the younger got up and slept with him; and he did not know when she lay down or got up. 36 And so both of the daughters of Lot conceived by their father. 37 The firstborn gave birth to a son, and named him (DM)Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 As for the younger, she also gave birth to a son, and named him Ben-ammi; he is the father of [ci]the sons of (DN)Ammon to this day.
Footnotes
- Genesis 16:2 Lit be built from her
- Genesis 16:5 Lit breast
- Genesis 16:5 Lit eyes
- Genesis 16:5 Lit me and you
- Genesis 16:6 Lit hand
- Genesis 16:6 Lit eyes
- Genesis 16:9 Lit under her hands
- Genesis 16:10 Lit seed
- Genesis 16:10 Lit they shall not be counted for multitude
- Genesis 16:11 I.e., God hears
- Genesis 16:12 Lit before the face of; or opposite
- Genesis 16:13 Or You, God, see me
- Genesis 16:13 Heb Elroi
- Genesis 16:13 Lit His seeing me
- Genesis 16:14 I.e., the well of the living one who sees me
- Genesis 16:16 Lit Abram
- Genesis 17:1 Heb El Shaddai
- Genesis 17:1 Lit complete, perfect; or having integrity
- Genesis 17:2 Lit give
- Genesis 17:5 I.e., exalted father
- Genesis 17:5 I.e., father of a multitude
- Genesis 17:7 Lit seed
- Genesis 17:7 Lit seed
- Genesis 17:8 Lit seed
- Genesis 17:9 Lit seed
- Genesis 17:10 Lit seed
- Genesis 17:12 Lit seed
- Genesis 17:15 I.e., princess
- Genesis 17:15 I.e., princess (in another dialect)
- Genesis 17:16 Lit be
- Genesis 17:19 I.e., he laughs
- Genesis 17:19 Lit seed
- Genesis 18:1 Lit him
- Genesis 18:1 Or terebinths
- Genesis 18:3 Or O Lord
- Genesis 18:3 Lit pass away from Your servant
- Genesis 18:4 I.e., referring to the three visitors
- Genesis 18:5 Lit take
- Genesis 18:5 Lit sustain your heart
- Genesis 18:5 Lit come to
- Genesis 18:6 Lit Hasten three measures
- Genesis 18:6 Heb seah; one seah is about 7 qt. or 7.7 liters
- Genesis 18:7 Lit good
- Genesis 18:8 Lit and
- Genesis 18:10 Lit when the time revives
- Genesis 18:11 Lit the way of women
- Genesis 18:12 Lit within
- Genesis 18:14 Or wonderful
- Genesis 18:14 Lit when the time revives
- Genesis 18:18 Or populous
- Genesis 18:19 Lit known
- Genesis 18:24 Or forgive
- Genesis 18:25 Lit like this thing
- Genesis 18:25 Lit do justice
- Genesis 18:26 Or forgive
- Genesis 18:27 Or resolved
- Genesis 18:31 Or resolved
- Genesis 19:1 Lit bowed himself
- Genesis 19:4 Or without exception; lit from every end
- Genesis 19:5 Lit know them; i.e., have intercourse
- Genesis 19:8 Lit known man
- Genesis 19:8 Lit as is good in your sight
- Genesis 19:8 Lit shadow
- Genesis 19:9 Lit to sojourn
- Genesis 19:9 Lit the man, against Lot
- Genesis 19:10 Lit hand
- Genesis 19:10 Lit to
- Genesis 19:14 Or had married; lit were taking
- Genesis 19:14 Lit like one who was joking
- Genesis 19:15 Or wrongdoing
- Genesis 19:16 Lit hand
- Genesis 19:17 Lit he
- Genesis 19:17 Lit in all the circle
- Genesis 19:17 Lit mountain
- Genesis 19:19 Lit mountain
- Genesis 19:20 Lit and my soul will live
- Genesis 19:21 Lit thing
- Genesis 19:22 I.e., small
- Genesis 19:26 Lit his
- Genesis 19:28 Lit he saw, and behold
- Genesis 19:28 Lit kiln
- Genesis 19:30 Lit mountain
- Genesis 19:31 Or in the land
- Genesis 19:31 Lit come in to
- Genesis 19:32 Lit seed from our father
- Genesis 19:34 Lit seed from our father
- Genesis 19:38 Heb Beney-Ammon
Genesis 16-19
New International Version
Genesis 16-19
New International Version
Hagar and Ishmael
16 Now Sarai,(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.(B) But she had an Egyptian slave(C) named Hagar;(D) 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”(F)
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan(G) ten years,(H) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar,(I) and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.(J) 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”(K)
6 “Your slave is in your hands,(L)” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated(M) Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord(N) found Hagar near a spring(O) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.(P) 8 And he said, “Hagar,(Q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”(R)
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”(S)
11 The angel of the Lord(T) also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.(U)
You shall name him(V) Ishmael,[a](W)
for the Lord has heard of your misery.(X)
12 He will be a wild donkey(Y) of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward[b] all his brothers.(Z)”
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,(AA)” for she said, “I have now seen[c] the One who sees me.”(AB) 14 That is why the well(AC) was called Beer Lahai Roi[d];(AD) it is still there, between Kadesh(AE) and Bered.
15 So Hagar(AF) bore Abram a son,(AG) and Abram gave the name Ishmael(AH) to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old(AI) when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,(AJ) the Lord appeared to him(AK) and said, “I am God Almighty[e];(AL) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.(AM) 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you(AN) and will greatly increase your numbers.”(AO)
3 Abram fell facedown,(AP) and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you:(AQ) You will be the father of many nations.(AR) 5 No longer will you be called Abram[f]; your name will be Abraham,[g](AS) for I have made you a father of many nations.(AT) 6 I will make you very fruitful;(AU) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.(AV) 7 I will establish my covenant(AW) as an everlasting covenant(AX) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God(AY) and the God of your descendants after you.(AZ) 8 The whole land of Canaan,(BA) where you now reside as a foreigner,(BB) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;(BC) and I will be their God.(BD)”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,(BE) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.(BF) 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.(BG) 11 You are to undergo circumcision,(BH) and it will be the sign of the covenant(BI) between me and you. 12 For the generations to come(BJ) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,(BK) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.(BL) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.(BM) 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised(BN) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;(BO) he has broken my covenant.(BP)”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai(BQ) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.(BR) 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.(BS) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;(BT) kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown;(BU) he laughed(BV) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?(BW) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”(BX) 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael(BY) might live under your blessing!”(BZ)
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,(CA) and you will call him Isaac.[h](CB) I will establish my covenant with him(CC) as an everlasting covenant(CD) for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.(CE) He will be the father of twelve rulers,(CF) and I will make him into a great nation.(CG) 21 But my covenant(CH) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you(CI) by this time next year.”(CJ) 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.(CK)
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household(CL) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.(CM) 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old(CN) when he was circumcised,(CO) 25 and his son Ishmael(CP) was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household(CQ), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
The Three Visitors
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham(CR) near the great trees of Mamre(CS) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent(CT) in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up(CU) and saw three men(CV) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.(CW)
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(CX) my lord,[i] do not pass your servant(CY) by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet(CZ) and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat,(DA) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs[j] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”(DB)
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf(DC) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds(DD) and milk(DE) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.(DF) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?”(DG) they asked him.
“There, in the tent,(DH)” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,(DI) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”(DJ)
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old,(DK) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.(DL) 12 So Sarah laughed(DM) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord(DN) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’(DO) 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord?(DP) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,(DQ) and Sarah will have a son.”(DR)
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16 When the men(DS) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham(DT) what I am about to do?(DU) 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,(DV) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[k] 19 For I have chosen him(DW), so that he will direct his children(DX) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord(DY) by doing what is right and just,(DZ) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”(EA)
20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom(EB) and Gomorrah is so great(EC) and their sin so grievous(ED) 21 that I will go down(EE) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22 The men(EF) turned away and went toward Sodom,(EG) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[l](EH) 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(EI) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[m] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?(EJ) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing(EK)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous(EL) and the wicked alike.(EM) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge(EN) of all the earth do right?”(EO)
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.(EP)”
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,(EQ) 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,(ER) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.(ES) What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten,(ET) I will not destroy it.”
33 When the Lord had finished speaking(EU) with Abraham, he left,(EV) and Abraham returned home.(EW)
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
19 The two angels(EX) arrived at Sodom(EY) in the evening, and Lot(EZ) was sitting in the gateway of the city.(FA) When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.(FB) 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet(FC) and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”(FD)
3 But he insisted(FE) so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.(FF) He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast,(FG) and they ate.(FH) 4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom(FI)—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”(FJ)
6 Lot went outside to meet them(FK) and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”(FL)
9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner,(FM) and now he wants to play the judge!(FN) We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
10 But the men(FO) inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness(FP) so that they could not find the door.
12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you?(FQ) Get them out of here, 13 because we(FR) are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great(FS) that he has sent us to destroy it.”(FT)
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry[n] his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!(FU)” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.(FV)
15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away(FW) when the city is punished.(FX)”
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters(FY) and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.(FZ) 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives!(GA) Don’t look back,(GB) and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!(GC) Flee to the mountains(GD) or you will be swept away!”
18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords,[o] please! 19 Your[p] servant has found favor in your[q] eyes,(GE) and you[r] have shown great kindness(GF) to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains;(GG) this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”
21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request(GH) too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.[s](GI))
23 By the time Lot reached Zoar,(GJ) the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur(GK) on Sodom and Gomorrah(GL)—from the Lord out of the heavens.(GM) 25 Thus he overthrew those cities(GN) and the entire plain,(GO) destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.(GP) 26 But Lot’s wife looked back,(GQ) and she became a pillar of salt.(GR)
27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.(GS) 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.(GT)
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain,(GU) he remembered(GV) Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe(GW) that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.(GX)
Lot and His Daughters
30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar(GY) and settled in the mountains,(GZ) for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line(HA) through our father.”(HB)
33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.(HC)
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”(HD) 35 So they got their father to drink wine(HE) that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.(HF)
36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.(HG) 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab[t];(HH) he is the father of the Moabites(HI) of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi[u]; he is the father of the Ammonites[v](HJ) of today.
Footnotes
- Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears.
- Genesis 16:12 Or live to the east / of
- Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of
- Genesis 16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.
- Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
- Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.
- Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
- Genesis 18:3 Or eyes, Lord
- Genesis 18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
- Genesis 18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
- Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26
- Genesis 19:14 Or were married to
- Genesis 19:18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord
- Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
- Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
- Genesis 19:19 The Hebrew is singular.
- Genesis 19:22 Zoar means small.
- Genesis 19:37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father.
- Genesis 19:38 Ben-Ammi means son of my father’s people.
- Genesis 19:38 Hebrew Bene-Ammon
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