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Genesis 18:23-33
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Genesis 18:23-33
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
23 Then Abraham drew near and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it? 25 Far be it from you to do 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! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?”(A) 26 The Lord replied: If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. 27 Abraham spoke up again: “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am only dust and ashes!(B) 28 What if there are five less than fifty righteous people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” I will not destroy it, he answered, if I find forty-five there. 29 But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it for the sake of the forty. 30 Then he said, “Do not let my Lord be angry if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it if I can find thirty there. 31 Abraham went on, “Since I have thus presumed to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?” I will not destroy it, he answered, for the sake of the twenty. 32 But he persisted: “Please, do not let my Lord be angry if I speak up this last time. What if ten are found there?” For the sake of the ten, he replied, I will not destroy it.(C)
33 The Lord departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.
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Genesis 18:23-33
New International Version
Genesis 18:23-33
New International Version
23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(A) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[a] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?(B) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing(C)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous(D) and the wicked alike.(E) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge(F) of all the earth do right?”(G)
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.(H)”
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,(I) 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,(J) 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.(K) What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten,(L) I will not destroy it.”
33 When the Lord had finished speaking(M) with Abraham, he left,(N) and Abraham returned home.(O)
Footnotes
- Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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