New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Genesis 18
1
The Lord appeared to Abraham near the large trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent. It was the hottest time of the day.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 14:13
Genesis 48:3
Acts 7:2
Genesis 17:22
2 Chronicles 1:7
References Lord
Genesis 13:18
Genesis 26:2
2
Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly left the entrance to his tent to meet them. He bowed low to the ground.
Reference
3
He said, "My lord, if you are pleased with me, don't pass me by.
5
"Let me get you something to eat to give you strength. Then you can go on your way. I want to do this for you now that you have come to me." "All right," they answered. "Go ahead and do it."
Reference
6
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick!" he said. "Get about half a bushel of fine flour. Mix it and bake some bread."
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 13:33
7
Then he ran to the herd. He picked out a choice, tender calf. He gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.
8
Then he brought some butter and milk and the calf that had been prepared. He served them to the three men. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 19:3
10
Then the Lord said, "You can be sure that I will return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind him.
Reference
11
Abraham and Sarah were already very old. Sarah was too old to have a baby.
Reference
References Abraham
Genesis 17:17
12
So she laughed to herself. She thought, "I'm worn out, and my husband is old. Can I really know the joy of having a baby?"
Reference
13
Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Will I really have a baby, now that I am old?'
14
Is anything too hard for me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year. Sarah will have a son."
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 1:37
Matthew 19:26
Mark 10:27
Ephesians 3:20
Job 42:2
Philippians 4:13
Romans 4:21
References Lord
Jeremiah 32:27
Jeremiah 32:17
Numbers 11:23
15
Sarah was afraid. So she lied and said, "I didn't laugh." But the Lord said, "Yes, you did."
Reference
16
The men got up to leave. They looked down toward Sodom. Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.
17
Then the Lord said, "Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
Reference
References Abraham
James 2:23
2 Chronicles 20:7
References Lord
Psalm 25:14
Amos 3:7
John 15:15
Genesis 19:24
2 Kings 4:27
18
He will certainly become a great and powerful nation. All nations on earth will be blessed because of him.
Reference
19
"I have chosen him. He must direct his children. He must see that the members of his family after him live the way I want them to. So he must direct them to do what is right and fair. Then I, the Lord, will do for Abraham what I have promised him."
Reference
Judgment
Ephesians 6:4
Parallel theme
2 Timothy 3:15
Proverbs 22:6
1 Timothy 3:12
Deuteronomy 32:46
Job 1:5
References Lord
1 Chronicles 28:9
Joshua 24:15
Psalm 11:4
Righteousness
Psalm 34:15
20
The Lord said, "The cries against Sodom and Gomorrah are very great. Their sin is so bad
Reference
21
that I will go down and see for myself. I want to see if what they have done is as bad as the cries that have reached me. If it is not, then I will know."
Reference
22
The men turned away. They went toward Sodom. But Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 19:1
Acts 7:55
Psalm 106:23
Ezekiel 22:30
Jeremiah 18:20
1 Timothy 2:1
References Lord
Jeremiah 15:1
23
Then Abraham came up to him. He said, "Will you sweep away godly people along with those who are evil?
Reference
Evil
2 Samuel 24:17
Hebrews 10:22
Parallel theme
Numbers 16:22
Psalm 73:28
Jeremiah 30:21
Righteousness
Genesis 20:4
Job 34:17
Genesis 18:25
Job 8:3
24
What if there are 50 godly people in the city? Will you really sweep it away? Won't you spare the place because of the 50 godly people in it?
Reference
25
"You would never kill godly people along with those who are evil, would you? You wouldn't treat godly and evil people alike. You would never do anything like that! Won't the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?"
Reference
Evil
Job 8:20
Judgment
Psalm 94:2
2 Corinthians 5:10
Righteousness
Job 8:3
Psalm 58:11
Deuteronomy 32:4
Psalm 98:9
Malachi 3:18
26
The Lord said, "If I find 50 godly people in the city of Sodom, I will save it. I will spare the whole place because of them."
Reference
27
Then Abraham spoke up again. He said, "I have been very bold to speak to the Lord. After all, I'm only dust and ashes.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 3:19
Job 4:19
Job 30:19
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Luke 18:1
References Lord
Isaiah 6:5
Isaiah 64:8
Genesis 2:7
Luke 5:8
28
What if the number of godly people is five less than 50? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find 45 there," he said, "I will not destroy it."
29
Once again Abraham spoke to him. He asked, "What if only 40 are found there?" He said, "If there are 40, I will not do it."
30
Then Abraham said, "Lord, don't let your anger burn against me. Let me speak. What if only 30 can be found there?" He answered, "If there are 30, I will not do it."
31
Abraham said, "I have been very bold to speak to the Lord. What if only 20 are found there?" He said, "If there are 20, I will not destroy it."
32
Then he said, "Lord, don't let your anger burn against me. Let me speak just one more time. What if only ten are found there?" He answered, "If there are ten, I will not destroy it."
Reference
33
When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left. And Abraham returned home.
Reference
References Lord
Genesis 18:22
Chapter Summary
Genesis chapter eighteen is one of those chapters in which God seems to appear as an ordinary guest at Abraham's house, and then becomes more substantial by the end.
Genesis 18:1-5 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre, standing at the entrance to his tent. He looked up and saw three men standing there, and ran to meet them. He bowed down to them, and told them to come under the shade of the trees. He brought them some water to wash their feet, and offered them some food to eat, but they said they were hungry. So Abraham ran and told Sarah to make some bread, and then ran to get a tender calf for the servant to prepare. He brought them curds and milk, and they ate together.
While they were eating, the men asked Abraham where his wife was, and he told them she was in the tent. One of the men said, I will surely return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son. Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind Abraham, and she laughed to herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? Now that I am old, my lord is grown very old. But the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh and say, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? Is anything too hard for the Lord? Sarah was afraid, and said she had not laughed, but the Lord told her she had. And the men rose up and went toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to see them off.
The Lord said to himself, Shall I hide from Abraham what I purpose to do? For I know that Abraham shall become a great nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. Therefore, I will show him what I purpose to do concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, for the outcry against them is great before me. Their sin is exceedingly grievous, and I will go down to see if what they have done is as bad as they say.
The men went towards Sodom, but Abraham stood before the Lord. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I purpose to do? The men said, Yes. And Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of fifty righteous people?
The Lord said, If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are forty-five righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of forty-five righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of forty-five righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are forty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of forty righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of forty righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are thirty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of thirty righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of thirty righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are twenty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of twenty righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of twenty righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are ten righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of ten righteous people?
And the Lord said, For the sake of ten righteous people I will not destroy the city. When Abraham finished speaking, the Lord departed, and Abraham returned home.
What a chapter! This chapter has it all; from the hospitality of Abraham and the shade of the trees to Sarah's laugh of disbelief, and Abraham's bold bargaining with God. Abraham is not portrayed in this chapter as someone who blindly accepts anything God says, but rather as someone who is willing to negotiate and question God's decrees. He appeals to God's mercy, and asks if God will do right by people, even if they are wicked. God does not rebuke Abraham for asking these questions, but rather meets him in a spirit of openness and allows him to negotiate. The chapter leaves us hanging, as it is still not clear whether there are ten righteous people in Sodom, and we must wait until the next chapter to find out if Abraham's nephew Lot will be one of them.
Genesis 18:1-5 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre, standing at the entrance to his tent. He looked up and saw three men standing there, and ran to meet them. He bowed down to them, and told them to come under the shade of the trees. He brought them some water to wash their feet, and offered them some food to eat, but they said they were hungry. So Abraham ran and told Sarah to make some bread, and then ran to get a tender calf for the servant to prepare. He brought them curds and milk, and they ate together.
While they were eating, the men asked Abraham where his wife was, and he told them she was in the tent. One of the men said, I will surely return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son. Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind Abraham, and she laughed to herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? Now that I am old, my lord is grown very old. But the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh and say, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? Is anything too hard for the Lord? Sarah was afraid, and said she had not laughed, but the Lord told her she had. And the men rose up and went toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to see them off.
The Lord said to himself, Shall I hide from Abraham what I purpose to do? For I know that Abraham shall become a great nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. Therefore, I will show him what I purpose to do concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, for the outcry against them is great before me. Their sin is exceedingly grievous, and I will go down to see if what they have done is as bad as they say.
The men went towards Sodom, but Abraham stood before the Lord. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I purpose to do? The men said, Yes. And Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of fifty righteous people?
The Lord said, If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are forty-five righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of forty-five righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of forty-five righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are forty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of forty righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of forty righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are thirty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of thirty righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of thirty righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are twenty righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of twenty righteous people?
The Lord said, For the sake of twenty righteous people I will not destroy the city. But Abraham said, Oh that the Lord would show mercy to Sodom and Gomorrah, for they are my countrymen! Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are ten righteous people in the city, will you destroy it and not spare it for the sake of ten righteous people?
And the Lord said, For the sake of ten righteous people I will not destroy the city. When Abraham finished speaking, the Lord departed, and Abraham returned home.
What a chapter! This chapter has it all; from the hospitality of Abraham and the shade of the trees to Sarah's laugh of disbelief, and Abraham's bold bargaining with God. Abraham is not portrayed in this chapter as someone who blindly accepts anything God says, but rather as someone who is willing to negotiate and question God's decrees. He appeals to God's mercy, and asks if God will do right by people, even if they are wicked. God does not rebuke Abraham for asking these questions, but rather meets him in a spirit of openness and allows him to negotiate. The chapter leaves us hanging, as it is still not clear whether there are ten righteous people in Sodom, and we must wait until the next chapter to find out if Abraham's nephew Lot will be one of them.