¹⁶ And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. ¹⁷ And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; ¹⁸ seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹ For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. ²⁰ And Jehovah said, ^[a]Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah 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 cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

²² And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah. ²³ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? ²⁵ That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ²⁶ And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. ²⁷ And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes: ²⁸ peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. ²⁹ And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty’s sake. ³⁰ And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. ³¹ And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake. ³² And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake. ³³ And Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.