Abraham: The Covenant

and all the men in his household, both slaves born in his house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

ADONAI appeared to Avraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the entrance to the tent during the heat of the day.

He raised his eyes and looked, and there in front of him stood three men. On seeing them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, prostrated himself on the ground,

and said, "My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, please don't leave your servant.

Please let me send for some water, so that you can wash your feet; then rest under the tree,

and I will bring a piece of bread. Now that you have come to your servant, refresh yourselves before going on.""Very well," they replied, "do what you have said."

Avraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, three measures of the best flour! Knead it and make cakes."

Avraham ran to the herd, took a good, tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it.

Then he took curds, milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it all before the men; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "There, in the tent."

He said, "I will certainly return to you around this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."Sarah heard him from the entrance of the tent, behind him.

Avraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah was past the age of childbearing.

So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "I am old, and so is my lord; am I to have pleasure again?"

ADONAI said to Avraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and ask, 'Am I really going to bear a child when I am so old?'

Is anything too hard for ADONAI? At the time set for it, at this season next year, I will return to you; and Sarah will have a son."

Sarah denied it, saying, "I didn't either laugh," because she was afraid. He said, "Not so - you did laugh."

The men set out from there and looked over toward S'dom, and Avraham went with them to see them on their way.

ADONAI said, "Should I hide from Avraham what I am about to do,

inasmuch as Avraham is sure to become a great and strong nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by him?

For I have made myself known to him, so that he will give orders to his children and to his household after him to keep the way of ADONAI and to do what is right and just, so that ADONAI may bring about for Avraham what he has promised him."

ADONAI said, "The outcry against S'dom and 'Amora is so great and their sin so serious

that I will now go down and see whether their deeds warrant the outcry that has reached me; if not, I will know."

The men turned away from there and went toward S'dom, but Avraham remained standing before ADONAI.

Avraham approached and said, "Will you actually sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

Maybe there are fifty righteous people in the city; will you actually sweep the place away, and not forgive it for the sake of the fifty righteous who are there?