[VAYERA]

1And Hashem appeared unto him in the terebinth trees of Mamre; and he sat in the entrance of the ohel (tent) in the heat of the day;

2And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, hinei, Shloshah Anashim (Three Men) ²¹stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the entrance of the ohel, and prostrated himself on the ground,

3And said, Adonoi, ²²if now I have found chen (favor) in Thy sight, pass not on by, please, from Thy servant;

4Let a little water, please, be brought, and wash Thy feet, and rest under haetz (the tree);

5And I will bring a morsel of bread, and refresh Ye Your hearts; after that Ye shall pass on; because for this purpose are Ye come to Your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

6And Avraham hastened into the ohel unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly shlosh measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.

7And Avraham ran unto the herd, and brought a calf tender and tov, and gave it unto a servant; and he hasted to prepare it.

8And he took curds, and cholov (milk), and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under haetz, and they did eat.

9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Hinei, in the ohel.

10And He said, I will certainly return unto thee at this time next year; and, hinei, Sarah thy wife shall have ben (son). And Sarah heard it in the entrance of the ohel, which was behind him.

11Now Avraham and Sarah were zekenim (old ones) and well stricken in age; and [in childbearing] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12Therefore Sarah laughed [titzchak, sounds like Yitzchak] within herself, saying, After I am grown old shall I have pleasure, adoni being old also?

13And Hashem said unto Avraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I which am old of a surety bear a child?

14Is any thing too hard for Hashem? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, in due season, and Sarah shall have ben (son).

15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And He said, Oh yes but thou didst laugh.

16And the Anashim rose up from thence, and peered toward Sodom; and Avraham went with them to send them on the way.

17And Hashem said, Shall I hide from Avraham that thing which I do;

18Seeing that Avraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and kol goyei ha'aretz (all the nations of the earth) shall be blessed in him?

19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall be shomer over the Derech Hashem, to do tzedakah and mishpat; that Hashem may bring upon Avraham that which He hath spoken [promised] of him.

20And Hashem said, Because the outcry of Sodom and Amora is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the crying out [for punishment] of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will have da'as.

22And the Men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Avraham stood yet before Hashem.

23And Avraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou also destroy the tzaddik with the rasha?

24Suppose there be fifty tzaddikim within the city; wilt Thou also destroy and not nasa (spare) ²³the place lema'an (for the sake of) the fifty tzaddikim that are therein? ²⁴

25That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the tzaddik with the rasha; and that the tzaddik should be as the rasha, that be far from Thee: Shall not HaShofet Kol Ha'Aretz (the Judge of All the Earth) do mishpat (right)?

26And Hashem said, If I find in Sodom fifty tzaddikim within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

27And Avraham answered and said, Hinei now, I, which am but aphar and ashes, have taken upon me to speak unto Hashem;

28Suppose there shall lack five of the fifty tzaddikim; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And He said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said, Suppose there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for fortyʼs sake.

30And he said unto Him, Oh let not Hashem be angry, and I will speak; suppose there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31And he said, Hinei now, I have taken upon me to speak unto Hashem: suppose there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twentyʼs sake.

32And he said, Oh let not Hashem be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: suppose asarah (ten, i.e., a minyan) shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of haasarah (the ten).

33And Hashem went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Avraham; and Avraham returned unto his makom.