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.

²² The men^(A) turned away and went toward Sodom,^(B) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{[a](C) 23} Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{(D) 24} What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^[b] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?^{(E) 25} Far be it from you to do such a thing^(F)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous^(G) and the wicked alike.^(H) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge^(I) of all the earth do right?”^(J)

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.^(K)”

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,^{(L) 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,^(M) 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.^(N) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,^(O) I will not destroy it.”

³³ When the Lord had finished speaking^(P) with Abraham, he left,^(Q) and Abraham returned home.^(R)