1Mens Abraham boede i Mamres egelund, viste Herren sig for ham igen. En dag sad Abraham i teltåbningen på den varmeste tid af dagen.2Pludselig lagde han mærke til, at der stod tre mænd i nærheden. Han løb dem i møde og bød dem velkommen ved at bøje sig dybt til jorden.3„Herre,” sagde han, „vis mig den gunst ikke at gå din tjeners dør forbi, men tag imod min gæstfrihed.4Lad mig sørge for, at I får vand til at vaske støvet af jeres fødder. I kan hvile jer under træet her.5Så kommer jeg med lidt mad, som I kan styrke jer på. Siden I nu er kommet denne vej, håber jeg, I vil gøre mig den ære at blive lidt, inden I rejser videre.” „Tak, det vil vi gerne,” svarede de.6Abraham skyndte sig tilbage til teltet og gav besked til Sara: „Hurtigt! tag det bedste mel, vi har, og lav noget brød af det.”7Så løb han videre ud til kvægflokken, hvor han udvalgte en fedekalv og gav den til en tjener, som skyndte sig at slagte den.8Da maden var klar, tog Abraham syrnet mælk og sødmælk samt noget af den stegte kalv og serverede det for mændene. Han vartede selv op, mens mændene sad og spiste ude under træerne.9„Hvor er Sara, din kone?” spurgte en af mændene. „Inde i teltet,” svarede Abraham.10Da sagde manden: „Næste år ved denne tid kommer jeg igen, og da har Sara født en søn!” Sara stod i teltdøren bagved og hørte det hele.11Både hun og Abraham var gamle, og hun vidste jo godt, at hun var alt for gammel til at få børn.12Hun lo ved sig selv og tænkte: „Skulle jeg virkelig opleve den glæde, nu da både jeg og min mand er blevet for gamle?”13Da sagde Herren til Abraham: „Hvorfor ler Sara og tænker, at hun umuligt kan få et barn?14Skulle noget være umuligt for Gud? Næste år ved denne tid kommer jeg igen, og da har Sara en søn!”15Da Sara hørte det, blev hun bange og forsvarede sig. „Jeg lo ikke!” løj hun. „Jo, du gjorde!” svarede Herren.
Abraham går i forbøn for Sodoma
16Så rejste mændene sig fra måltidet og gik videre i retning af Sodoma, og Abraham fulgte dem på vej.17Undervejs sagde Herren til sig selv: „Hvorfor skulle jeg ikke indvi Abraham i mine planer?18Abrahams efterkommere vil jo blive et mægtigt folk, og alle jordens folkeslag vil opnå velsignelse gennem ham.19Jeg har jo netop udvalgt ham, for at han skal indprente sine efterkommere lydighed mod mig, ærlighed og godhed, så jeg kan lade det ske, jeg har lovet ham.”20Herren sagde derfor til Abraham: „Jeg har hørt klageskrig fra Sodoma og Gomorra. Indbyggerne er frygtelig onde, og alt hvad de gør er ondt.21Jeg er nu på vej derned for at se, om deres handlinger virkelig er så forfærdelige, som det lyder til.”22De to andre mænd gik nu videre mod Sodoma, mens Abraham blev stående foran Herren.23Så trådte han et skridt nærmere Gud og sagde: „Vil du virkelig udrydde de gode mennesker sammen med de onde?24Hvis nu der findes 50 uskyldige mennesker i byen—vil du da stadig ødelægge den? Kan du ikke skåne byen for de 50 menneskers skyld?25Du vil da vel ikke behandle de gode og de onde lige? Skulle han, som dømmer hele verden, ikke være retfærdig?”26Herren svarede: „Hvis der findes 50 retsindige mennesker, vil jeg for deres skyld skåne byen.”27Men Abraham fortsatte: „Siden jeg nu er begyndt at tale med min Herre, så lad mig fortsætte—vel vidende, at jeg kun er støv og aske.28Hvad nu, hvis der kun er 45 retsindige? Vil du så ødelægge byen, bare fordi der mangler fem?” „Nej, jeg vil ikke ødelægge byen, hvis der er 45 retsindige.”29„Hvad nu, hvis der kun er 40?” „Nej, heller ikke, hvis der er 40.”30„Tag mig det ikke ilde op,” blev Abraham ved. „Hvad nu, hvis der kun er 30?” „Jeg vil skåne hele byen, hvis jeg finder 30,” svarede Herren.31„Siden jeg har taget mig den frihed at tale til min Herre,” fortsatte Abraham, „tillad mig da at spørge nok en gang: Hvad nu, hvis der kun er 20?” „Så vil jeg for disse 20 retsindiges skyld skåne byen.”32Da sagde Abraham: „Herre, bliv ikke vred! Dette er sidste gang: Hvad nu, hvis der kun findes ti?” Og Herren svarede: „Så vil jeg for disse ti uskyldiges skyld skåne hele byen.”33Da Herren var færdig med at tale med Abraham, gik han videre, mens Abraham vendte hjem til sit telt.
1. Mosebog 18
English Standard Version
fra Crossway1And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks[1] of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. (1.Mos 13,18; 1.Mos 14,13)2He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth (1.Mos 19,1; Heb 13,2)3and said, “O Lord,[2] if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.4Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, (1.Mos 19,2; 1.Mos 24,32; 1.Mos 43,24; Luk 7,44; Joh 13,14)5while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” (1.Mos 19,8; 1.Mos 33,10; Dom 19,5; Salm 104,15)6And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs[3] of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.”7And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.8Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.9They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” (1.Mos 24,67)10The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. (1.Mos 17,19; 1.Mos 17,21; 1.Mos 18,14; 1.Mos 21,2; 2.Kong 4,16; Rom 9,9)11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. (1.Mos 17,17; Rom 4,19; Heb 11,11)12So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” (1.Mos 17,17; Luk 1,18; 1.Pet 3,6)13The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’14Is anything too hard[4] for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (1.Mos 18,10; Job 42,2; Jer 32,17; Jer 32,27; Zak 8,6; Matt 19,26; Luk 1,37)15But Sarah denied it,[5] saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”16Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way.17The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, (Salm 25,14; Amos 3,7; Joh 15,15)18seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? (1.Mos 12,3; 1.Mos 22,18; 1.Mos 26,4; Ap G 3,25; Gal 3,8)19For I have chosen[6] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” (Amos 3,2)20Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, (1.Mos 4,10; 1.Mos 19,13; Es 3,9; Ez 16,49; Jak 5,4)21I will go down to see whether they have done altogether[7] according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” (1.Mos 11,5; 1.Mos 11,7; 2.Mos 3,8; Josva 22,22)
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
22So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. (1.Mos 18,1; 1.Mos 18,16; 1.Mos 19,1; Salm 106,23; Jer 18,20)23Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (1.Mos 20,4; 4.Mos 16,22; 2.Sam 24,17)24Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?25Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (5.Mos 32,4; Job 8,3; Job 8,20; Job 34,10; Rom 3,5)26And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” (Es 65,8; Jer 5,1; Ez 22,30)27Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. (Luk 18,1)28Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”29Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”30Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”31He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”32Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” (Dom 6,39)33And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.