Introduction

Greetings, everyone! Let's look at Genesis Chapter 18. I've lectured on Genesis in many versions, and when we talk about it again, I feel that I didn't explain it clearly before. I would like to set the topic as: Obeying God's Way, Acting Justly, and Fulfilling God's Promises. This sentence is in Genesis 18:19. I especially like Genesis 18, especially verses 17 to 19.

And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For 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. (Genesis 18:17-19)

So let's talk about the theme in this direction. I may not have stood high enough before, and I didn't get it right. Let's adjust it back. I used to hit the third or second ring, but now I can hit it more accurately and grasp the theme more accurately.

God's Promises are Conditional

Everyone should know that God's promises are conditional. Some people can see the fulfillment of God's promises, and some people cannot. You can pray, but you may not see the fulfillment of God's promises even if you pray until you die. Especially Christians, and even more so pastors. If you become a pastor like old Eli, that's a tragedy! Do you know old Eli? If you don't know him, go and read the first few chapters of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel records a character named old Eli. He was not only a Christian, but also a pastor. Not only a pastor, but also an archbishop, very powerful!

So what I said, "Obeying God's Way, Acting Justly, and Fulfilling God's Promises," is extraordinary. Many people live in this confusion, especially this sentence is quite confusing. Isn't God's love for us unconditional? That's not what it says. God's love is unconditional, but God's promises are conditional. So old Eli's family's sacrifices were similar to our prayers, and they could never remove their family's sins.

Sacrifices are useless. God delights in obeying His words far more than people offering sacrifices. That's why you find that some people's prayers don't work. My prayers work for others, but why don't my prayers work for my own affairs? Your prayers work for others because God has mercy on that person. God's promises are conditional. You will find that Abraham's faith has been maintained. In Genesis Chapter 17, he kept the circumcision. Keeping the circumcision is to cut off the lusts of the flesh.

Do you know what the New Testament says? If a person is carnal, he is an enemy of God. A carnal person cannot please God, nor can he keep and obey God's words. He must cut off the lusts of the flesh. Cutting off the lusts of the flesh is a very important condition for the fulfillment of God's promises. This is what we are going to talk about in this chapter, "The Fulfillment of God's Promises." My favorite sentence is:

For 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. (Genesis 18:19)

That is to say, obeying God's way and acting justly is a prerequisite. But this prerequisite is to cut off the lusts of the flesh, otherwise you cannot walk in God's will, so carnal people cannot please God. Do you know what are the reactions of the carnal? Everyone must know and understand. When I see Christians afraid of death, it's over! Carnal! One day when I was watching Douyin, I saw a video: pigs were to be slaughtered for the New Year. When the pigs saw that they were going to be slaughtered, they ran around and fled, and their heads plunged into the well and committed suicide. This short video was quite interesting.

Pigs are also afraid of death. When I see Christians thinking about living, it's over! Carnal, almost like pigs. They value eating and drinking very much. Pigs also think this way. When they see the little things in this world, they fight and snatch! I like to watch the short videos in the animal world. When I watch them, I get a little sober. Two stallions fought to the death for a mare, drove one of them away, and the other won the right to mate. People seem to think the same way.

Many people have invented many things. I don't know why they invented something called "green hat". I have never understood why they wear "green hat"? It's all carnal. So brothers and sisters, look at your reaction? Many people have "pastor's wife face". Why does the pastor's wife's face grow like that? The reason is very simple: she looks at the pastor all day long, and she feels uncomfortable when the pastor talks to a sister, and she is afraid of wearing a "green hat". In fact, how many "hats" are there?

So God's promises are conditional. You can say: I am a Christian, and I go to worship every Sunday. But if you can't cut off the lusts of the flesh, it's useless, and you can't experience God's promises. Because it is carnal, it cannot please God naturally. Abraham is a spiritual person, so that God's promises to Abraham can be fulfilled in you and me, all of which are conditional. This is very important!

If you say: I am God's people, a descendant of Abraham. As a result, God said: How can you be a descendant of the devil? It's useless what you say. So brothers and sisters must start to overcome a few things: Do you want God's promises to be fulfilled? You have to be a spiritual person, not a carnal person. If your thoughts are very similar to those of pigs, that's very troublesome. Or if the pig's thoughts are very similar to yours, that's also very troublesome.

Brothers and sisters should know that obeying God's way and acting justly is the key to the fulfillment of God's promises. This is what God told Abraham. This matter cannot be hidden from Abraham, not because of hiding it or not, but because this matter is recorded so that we, the descendants of Abraham and the sons of Abraham, can understand how to obey God's way, act justly, and how to make the promises fulfilled in you and me. It is a tragedy for a person to have no promises from God in his life.

This passage of the Bible is particularly well said. God wants to destroy Sodom and first consults with Abraham. It's not just for Abraham, but to let Abraham command his sons to imitate Abraham, so that we can obey God's way, act justly, and make God's promises to Abraham fulfilled in us.

Obeying the Way of Hospitality

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And 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, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. (Genesis 18:1-8)

Many people read this passage and immediately focus on: These three people are God, how did he know? In fact, Abraham did not only do this to these three people. No matter who suddenly passed by their tent, he would do the same. Abraham's reputation was far and wide. He treated everyone the same. He didn't say: This is God, I will treat him well; this is not God, I will ignore him.

In the New Testament, if you give a cup of water to the least of these brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot but be rewarded. Therefore, there is a very important foundation for hospitality, that is, you must have the way of hospitality in your mind. If you don't have the way of hospitality in your mind, then you can't be hospitable. Speaking of this, I have something to boast about. I learned the way of hospitality from Abraham. No matter what the situation, you must know that the way of hospitality is part of obeying God's way.

A person who is too selfish cannot obey God's way. I have nothing to do with him, and I don't know him. He just passed by my house, and then I received him. Here I have to remind everyone to be careful. That was Abraham's era. Now if someone knocks on your door, you have to be careful, and you can't mess around! Did Abraham receive hooligans and thugs who passed by his house? Definitely. Did he receive people from Sodom? Definitely. Sodom is north of Abraham's place.

The people of Sodom knew Abraham beyond their imagination, saying: This kid is too powerful! The people of Sodom owe Abraham a favor. Back then, the people of Sodom were taken away by King Chedorlaomer, and Abraham rescued them. The people of Sodom still have some humanity. Abraham's way of hospitality is extraordinary. Even the people of Sodom were received when they passed by this place, and they were well entertained. What if hooligans and thugs come?

In the early years, my mother opened a small shop. It was not easy in that era. There were many hooligans and thugs who came to eat free meals. I admire my mother very much. My mother had a very good relationship with those hooligans and thugs. When those hooligans and thugs arrived at my mother's shop, they said: Auntie, get something to eat. I can tell you! I have a very good relationship with Auntie. You come here to eat well, and pay well after eating. The leader of the hooligans had a good relationship with my mother. How was that relationship built? If you are stingy, you can't build a good relationship.

Abraham had a good relationship with the people in Sodom. Can you do it? You can't do this job. You may not even be able to do the job of my mother's small shop. Why? Too stingy. My mother did this very well. Auntie, if anything happens, who bullies you, come to me! Did anyone eat free meals? No. Did my mother give it to them? She gave it to them. If you see the least of these brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, and you are not willing to give him even a cup of water, how can you give him a cup of juice? How can you give him a bowl of meat? How can you slaughter a fat calf for him?

Look at what Abraham did: he quickly kneaded the dough and slaughtered the fat calf. Some people are not like this. He tells the servant: Go and get the calf with skin disease for God to eat. Have you ever had this idea? The things you think in your mind must be compared with Abraham! That's how people do it, do you understand? I encourage everyone to imitate well, because the way of hospitality is part of keeping and obeying God's way. What you do is as if you are doing it to God. Is there this sentence in the Bible? Definitely.

Whatever you do is as if you are doing it to God. Why can Abraham do this? He has money! He doesn't lack money, and the money is always spent endlessly. There is a wealthy mentality in him. Some time ago, someone came to me and insisted on taking me to eat Din Tai Fung. Why? He heard me mention Din Tai Fung in my sermon. People don't owe me this Din Tai Fung.

There used to be a silly boy. I served him very hard, and he owed me a lot of favors. One day, he came into my office with the smell of buns. I said, what's that smell on you? He said, the smell of Din Tai Fung. I said, you ate Din Tai Fung, why didn't you think of me? Why didn't you bring me some? In fact, when I said this to him, it wasn't that I lacked those buns. But he lacked a little bit of the way of hospitality, and he was very selfish. Selfish people are really useless.

This person came to me from afar and insisted on treating me to Din Tai Fung. Then let's go eat it. As a result, it was closed. People close at two or three in the afternoon! It will open at four o'clock, and I didn't eat it. But it doesn't matter, it smells as good as if I had eaten it, because the person I contacted is a person who has the way of hospitality. This matter must be pondered. It is difficult for a stingy person to be rich. Why? He is poor inside! I thank God! God has graced me to know how to imitate Abraham, act justly, keep and obey God's way, and even the way of hospitality is like this.

Even during the epidemic, don't forget the way of hospitality, don't mess around! Offending God is a matter of life and death. This chapter is all about acting justly and keeping and obeying God's way of hospitality. It's just that people don't know how to obey, so start obeying from small things. Some people always want to serve a big one when they serve, but it is best to start from serving a small one.

Believe in the Power of God

There is an interesting dialogue here. One of the three people said: "I will surely return to you about this time next year." Abraham then asked: "Are you coming back to eat again? Haven't you had enough?" No. It was said:

"Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” (Genesis 18:10-12)

You see, this is how people think. What was the result? The result was:

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:13-15)

What does God's word show us? It is that our faith is often built on our flesh. But everyone understands that a woman cannot have children without menstruation, and after menopause, there is no menstruation, and she cannot have children. But this view is carnal in God's eyes; it relies on the flesh. Does the cessation of menstruation mean that God cannot enable you to have a child? God's promise is still fulfilled.

So, everyone must begin to understand, do not think that Sarah's menstruation has stopped, so even if Jehovah God promises to give her a child, she cannot have a child, nor should you think that can a ninety-year-old still have children? I tell you, even at a hundred years old, if God wants you to have a child, it is not difficult. Is anything too hard for the Lord? We must know that the God we believe in is the God who raises the dead and creates something out of nothing. This is the foundation. What does the New Testament say? The scripture I quote most often in the New Testament is:

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Chinese Mingding Destiny is very, very concerned about whether our faith rests on the power of God or on what else? If our faith is not built on God's promises, not built on God's power, not believing that our God can raise the dead and create something out of nothing, our faith will not stand. If our faith is built on the foundation of "Is anything too hard for the Lord?", you will always have security in your life.

If you believe in a god, and then encounter an event. It's like putting an idol in a purse, and then encountering an event. Can the idol in the purse come out and save you? It cannot. So, we must gradually understand, is our faith in believing one thing? That is, nothing is impossible for God. In the New Testament, Jesus also said this:

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

So, brothers and sisters, begin to build your faith on the foundation of God's power. This is the condition for receiving the promise. If you do not believe, you will not receive it. Some people still have many myths in their hearts to this day. These myths make people extremely ignorant. Many Christians hope that after the epidemic breaks out in China, in an uncontrollable situation, they hope that someone can bring Pfizer's special medicine from abroad. People put their faith in Pfizer's special medicine. Later, it was discovered that many people who sold special medicines also died.

This logic is actually very straightforward. If the special medicine is effective, foreign countries would not have to accept the plague. Especially Christians like to put their faith in hospitals. I tell you, I have no faith in hospitals. In fact, having faith in hospitals and having faith in medical care is a tragedy in itself. Isn't this obvious? My mother was lying in the hospital, and I was praying for my mother, with the door open. My mother said: "Another one." I said: "Another one what?" She said: "Another one died, carried out." I prayed with her again. My mother said again: "Another one, another one died." You say: "If the hospital is effective, would it be like this?" The hospital cannot stop death.

So, we must gradually begin to understand in our understanding. If our understanding is not clear, we will think it is a matter of course, but we cannot explain how it is a matter of course. In fact, trusting in God's power is a matter of course. But many people also say with their mouths: "Trust in God's power," but they do not believe in God's power. Isn't this very strange? In fact, Chinese Mingding Destiny believes that God's promises are conditional. You must have the way of hospitality. You must believe in God's power and build your faith on the foundation of God's power. If you build it on the foundation of God's power, you don't have to worry about this or that. Nor do you have to build it on the medical system.

The current medical system is very strange. If you insert a tube, you are a living dead person, with a breath left. I hope everyone understands that this kind of quality of life is not good. Everyone can secretly pray: "God! May you have mercy and not let me fall into this situation while I am alive." You say: "People's words don't count. Living one day requires giving the hospital money for one day. Isn't the hospital's money as fast as printing ghost money?" It is because they cannot believe in God's power that they cannot fulfill God's promises and cannot make God's words to Abraham come true in them.

Brothers and sisters, begin to be strong, let us act with justice, keep and follow God's way, and make God's promises to Abraham come true in us. Even ninety-year-olds and hundred-year-olds can still have children. This has little to do with human flesh and only has to do with God's power. What can people do by relying on human flesh? If there are still those among us who rely on the flesh, not relying on God's power, relying on their own little ability, if your surname is Liu, you can name yourself "Liu Neng." If you think it doesn't sound good, then add a "small" character and call yourself Liu Xiaoneng.

If you believe in God's power but cannot be called Liu Daneng, that is also carnal. Do we still value our own abilities to this day? Never rely on your own abilities again, because relying on your own abilities, the hospital's abilities, and the doctor's abilities, they are all human. It is better to rely on God than to rely on people. Rely on God, keep and follow God's way, act with justice, and make God's promises to Abraham come true in us. This is incomparably good. Sometimes I lament, why don't people know such a good gospel?

Do you know how Chinese Mingding Destiny came about? It is because the church is full of all kinds of confusion and cannot see God's promises. Then I desperately read the Bible to know God. Then, I followed God's word to implement it and found it to be incomparably good. God's promises, God's words to Abraham, have all come true in us, which is like opening champagne every day. I think this is not just the case. God also tells us things. God said: "I am going to destroy Sodom." If we are all Abraham, we might ask: "God, why are you telling me this? It has nothing to do with me." How can it have nothing to do with you? It has something to do with you. Once God says I am going to destroy it, you must not clap your hands and applaud. Abraham is a very interesting person. He has a way of acting with justice in him.

Never wait until God comes, eats, and drinks, and then say: "God, I have a request." God says: "What is it?" And then say: "Destroy Sodom. That place is too bad. Look, that person who passed by there was raped and died in the street. That place is too bad. God! Destroy them." That would be bad. That is not our God. If we measure according to that condition, did Sarah secretly laughing eliminate God's promise? No. Did God destroy Sarah? No. God has abundant grace and mercy.

The Way of Acting with Justice

God said at this time: "I cannot hide this from Abraham." Why tell Abraham? Because Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. To become a great and powerful nation, God will tell you. How to become a great and powerful nation? It is to command His children, that is, us, to keep God's way, act with justice, and then we can become a great nation, and all nations on earth can be blessed through us.

Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:17-19)

So God does not hide it from Abraham but discusses it with him. This allows us to understand how Abraham handled this matter. Abraham was not reporting secretly, telling God: "This Sodom is so bad, so bad." He does not have this problem. What he has in his heart is God's righteousness. How do I know this? When Jehovah left, Abraham was very interesting. He wanted to see them off, but seeing them off was terrible. The most peculiar thing in the world happened. God actually told Abraham what He was going to do first. How did He say it?

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21)

The two turned and left, leaving one person to discuss this matter with Abraham. What did Abraham say?

The two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:22-25)

Can you read this flavor? That is, Abraham's understanding of God is like this. If your understanding of God is distorted, it will be troublesome. The Judge of all the earth will surely act with justice and have mercy. Killing the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike, this is absolutely not what our Lord does. Look at what he said, so Abraham is amazing! This allows us to know what it means to act with justice today.

It is not pursuing your fairness, nor is it pursuing your justice. Your justice is to destroy Sodom. Rape cases happen there every day. But Abraham does not think so. If Abraham thinks there is a problem with this, there is a problem with that, there are many problems with people. Can you understand? Some people say: "Kill the worst people in this world, kill them until there is no one left." Do you know why? If you kill the worst people, the second worst will become the worst. If you kill the second worst, the third worst will be ranked first. You can't kill them all!

Why will Abraham become a great nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him? Because Abraham has a heart of grace and a heart of mercy. This is called acting with justice. It is not our acting with justice, arguing with your mother-in-law: "God! Strike down a thunderbolt and kill her." Look at what kind of brain this is. In the end, the thunderbolt did not come down, and you were struck by a thunderbolt. When we look at things, we must learn from Abraham no matter what.

The path that Abraham opened up is beyond what ordinary people can imagine. What do ordinary people imagine? It is that you are a little better than him, and you think you are great. Abraham is not like this. Abraham means that we are all sinners, we all need God's salvation, we all need God's grace and mercy. He has such a heart. Why did God allow such an evil place as Sodom to remain until that time? It was waiting for it to be full of evil. What does it mean to be full of evil? Not even one righteous person can be found. God destroyed this place. God gives people opportunities to repent that are beyond what we can imagine. What does Abraham say next?

Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” “Once again,” he said, “let me speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes. What if forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:23-32)

At this time, God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and then consults with you. How would you react? Fortunately, He did not consult with you. If He consulted with you, you would be finished if you did not have Abraham's ambition. You will not become a great nation, all nations on earth will not be blessed through you, and God's promises will not be fulfilled in you. If a person has this bad habit: always thinking that he is good and others are bad, always thinking: "God! Why don't you destroy them?" I tell you, it is difficult for you to inherit God's promises, and you will destroy God's promises.

Stop being picky. What does it mean to teach His children, keep God's way, act with justice, and make God's promises come true? It means can you see things like God, seeing everything as good. Can you see everything as good? Many people see other people's problems very clearly, but they don't see their own problems at all. A couple quarreled and came to me and said: "Pastor! He sees my problems as if with a microscope. Even a small cell can be magnified very big. He sees his own problems with a reducing glass."

I tell you, if a couple is like this, can their relationship be good? Even living together will not work. Looking at other people's problems all day long, can you act with justice? That is acting with your own justice. Looking at your own advantages with a microscope, looking at other people's disadvantages with a microscope; looking at your own disadvantages with a reducing glass, looking at other people's advantages with a reducing glass. If your eyes are crooked, you really have to see an ophthalmologist. Even if there are only ten righteous people left, God will not destroy Sodom. As long as there is still a little bit of advantage on you, God is too lazy to destroy you. I am also too lazy to pray to God! Hurry up and destroy him, I don't do that either.

To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Know that God's grace is given to us for repentance, so that we can act with justice, keep and follow God's way, and make God's words to Abraham come true in us. Who has ruined God's promises? We have ruined them ourselves. Know that no one can ruin you except yourself. No one can stop God's plan from being fulfilled except yourself. Even if someone sells you to Egypt and makes you a slave, it cannot stop God's promises from being fulfilled in you.

I want to make a summary: We ourselves must also inherit Abraham's way of thinking, which is beyond ordinary people's imagination. So, brothers and sisters, if God's promises have not been fulfilled in us, the problem is ourselves. Start transforming. We really need God's promises. Relying on your own small size, you cannot withstand anything.

May God bless everyone!

Genesis Chapter 18

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
18:2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed down to the ground.
18:3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.
18:4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.
18:5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick, get three seahs of finely ground flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
18:7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.
18:8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
18:9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said.
18:10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.
18:11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.
18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
18:13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child, now that I am old?’
18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
18:15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
18:16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.
18:17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
18:18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
18:20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous
18:21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
18:22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
18:23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?
18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
18:26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,
18:28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
18:29 “Once again,” he said, “let me speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes. What if forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
18:30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
18:32 Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
18:33 After the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.