- 1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
- 2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
- 3And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
- 4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
- 5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
- 6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
- 7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
- 8And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
- 9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
- 10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
- 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
- 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
- 13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
- 14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
- 15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
- 16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
- 17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
- 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and 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 keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
- 20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
- 21I 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.
- 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
- 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
- 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
- 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
- 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
- 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
- 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: 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 spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
- 30And he said unto him, 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.
- 31And 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 twenty’s sake.
- 32And 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 ten’s sake.
- 33And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
KING JAMES VERSION
GENESIS 18
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Genesis 18 — Abraham welcomes three visitors, Sarah hears the promise of a son, and Abraham intercedes for Sodom.
About this illustration
The visitors are rendered as the men described by the chapter, without visually distinguishing divine anatomy. Peaceful Sodom remains intact on the horizon because its judgment belongs to the following chapter.
Scripture basis: Genesis 18:1–33King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchitecture
Herodian through Byzantine and early Islamic periods, over an older sacred landscape
Mamre Sacred Precinct at Ramat al-Khalil
The enclosure, basilica, and pilgrimage remains at Ramat al-Khalil document the long veneration of Mamre as the place of Abraham's encampment and divine visitors.
Genesis 13:18 · Genesis 18:1–15
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchaeological site
Middle Bronze Age II, approximately 1800-1600 BC
Tel Kabri’s Canaanite Palace and Wine Complex
A vast Middle Bronze palace at Tel Kabri combined ceremonial halls, Aegean-style painted plaster, imported materials, and storerooms whose jars preserved chemically identified spiced wine.
Genesis 14:17–24 · Genesis 18:1–8 · Genesis 43:31–34
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