² The Lord appeared^(A) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;^(B) live in the land where I tell you to live.^(C)

The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham^(A) near the great trees of Mamre^(B) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent^(C) in the heat of the day.

The Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,^(A) the Lord appeared to him^(B) and said, “I am God Almighty^[a];^(C) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.^(D)

⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram^(A) and said, “To your offspring^[a] I will give this land.^(B)”^(C) So he built an altar there to the Lord,^(D) who had appeared to him.

The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household^(A) to the land^(B) I will show you.^(C)

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,^(A) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”^(B)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old,^(C) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.^{(D) 12} So Sarah laughed^(E) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord^(F) 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?’^{(G) 14} Is anything too hard for the Lord?^(H) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,^(I) and Sarah will have a son.”^(J)

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^(K) 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^(L) what I am about to do?^{(M) 18} Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,^(N) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.^{[a] 19} For I have chosen him^(O), so that he will direct his children^(P) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord^(Q) by doing what is right and just,^(R) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”^(S)

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom^(T) and Gomorrah is so great^(U) and their sin so grievous^(V)