18 And Hashem appeared unto him in the terebinth trees of Mamre; and he sat in the entrance of the ohel (tent) in the heat of the day;

² And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, hinei, Shloshah Anashim (Three Men, [Yeshayah 6:3]) stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the entrance of the ohel, and prostrated himself on the ground,

³ And said, Adonoi [Hashem, see v.13], if now I have found chen (favor) in Thy sight, pass not on by, please, from Thy servant;

⁴ Let a little water, please, be brought, and wash Thy feet, and rest under haetz (the tree);

⁵ And I will bring a morsel of bread, and refresh Ye Your hearts; after that Ye shall pass on; because for this purpose are Ye come to Your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

⁶ And Avraham hastened into the ohel unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly shlosh measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.

⁷ And Avraham ran unto the herd, and brought a calf tender and tov, and gave it unto a servant; and he hasted to prepare it.

⁸ And he took curds, and cholov (milk), and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under haetz, and they did eat.

⁹ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Hinei, in the ohel.

¹⁰ And He said, I will certainly return unto thee at this time next year; and, hinei, Sarah thy wife shall have ben (son). And Sarah heard it in the entrance of the ohel, which was behind him.

¹¹ Now Avraham and Sarah were zekenim (old ones) and well stricken in age; and [in childbearing] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

¹² Therefore Sarah laughed [titzchak, sounds like Yitzchak] within herself, saying, After I am grown old shall I have pleasure, adoni being old also?

¹³ And Hashem said unto Avraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I which am old of a surety bear a child?

¹⁴ Is any thing too hard for Hashem? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, in due season, and Sarah shall have ben (son).

¹⁵ Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And He said, Oh yes but thou didst laugh.

¹⁶ And the Anashim rose up from thence, and peered toward S’dom; and Avraham went with them to send them on the way.

¹⁷ And Hashem said, Shall I hide from Avraham that thing which I do;

¹⁸ Seeing that Avraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and kol goyei ha’aretz (all the nations of the earth) shall be blessed in him?

¹⁹ For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall be shomer over the Derech Hashem, to do tzedakah and mishpat; that Hashem may bring upon Avraham that which He hath spoken [promised] of him.

²⁰ And Hashem said, Because the outcry of S’dom and Amora is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

²¹ I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the crying out [for punishment] of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will have da’as.

²² And the Men turned their faces from thence, and went toward S’dom; but Avraham stood yet before Hashem.

²³ And Avraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou also destroy the tzaddik with the rasha?

²⁴ Suppose there be fifty tzaddikim within the city; wilt Thou also destroy and not nasa (spare [take away and bear the guilt of, Yeshayah 53:12]) the place lema’an (for the sake of) the fifty tzaddikim that are therein? [IK 3:18]

²⁵ That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the tzaddik with the rasha; and that the tzaddik should be as the rasha, that be far from Thee: Shall not HaShofet Kol Ha’Aretz (the Judge of All the Earth) do mishpat (right)?

²⁶ And Hashem said, If I find in S’dom fifty tzaddikim within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

²⁷ And Avraham answered and said, Hinei now, I, which am but aphar and ashes, have taken upon me to speak unto Hashem;

²⁸ Suppose there shall lack five of the fifty tzaddikim; 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.

²⁹ And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said, Suppose there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

³⁰ And he said unto Him, Oh let not Hashem be angry, and I will speak; suppose there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

³¹ And he said, Hinei now, I have taken upon me to speak unto Hashem: suppose there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

³² And he said, Oh let not Hashem be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: suppose asarah (ten, i.e., a minyan) shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of haasarah (the ten).

³³ And Hashem went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Avraham; and Avraham returned unto his makom.