Yahweh appeared to him at the Oak of Mamre while he was sitting by the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up, and there he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and bowed to the ground. 3 ‘My lord,’ he said ‘I beg you, if I find favour with you, kindly do not pass your servant by. 4 A little water shall be brought; you shall wash your feet and lie down under the tree. 5 Let me fetch a little bread and you shall refresh yourselves before going further. That is why you have come in your servant’s direction.’ They replied, ‘Do as you say.’
6 Abraham hastened to the tent to find Sarah. ‘Hurry,’ he said, ‘knead three bushels of flour and make loaves.’ 7 Then running to the cattle Abraham took a fine and tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then taking cream, milk and the calf he had prepared, he laid all before them, and they ate while he remained standing near them under the tree.
9 ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘She is in the tent,’ he replied. 10 Then his guest said, ‘I shall visit you again next year without fail, and your wife will then have a son’. Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well on in years, and Sarah had ceased to have her monthly periods. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ‘Now that I am past the age of child-bearing, and my husband is an old man, is pleasure to come my way again?’ 13 But Yahweh asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Am I really going to have a child now that I am old?” 14 Is anything too wonderful for Yahweh? At the same time next year I shall visit you again and Sarah will have a son.’ 15 ‘I did not laugh,’ Sarah said, lying because she was afraid. But he replied, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’
16 From there the men set out and arrived within sight of Sodom, with Abraham accompanying them to show them the way. 17 Now Yahweh had wondered, ‘Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am going to do?... 20 Then Yahweh said, ‘How great an outcry there is against Sodom and Gomorrah! How grievous is their sin! 21 I propose to go down and see whether or not they have done all that is alleged in the outcry against them that has come up to me. I am determined to know.’
22 The men left there and went to Sodom while Abraham remained standing before Yahweh. 23 Approaching him he said, ‘Are you really going to destroy the just man with the sinner? 24 Perhaps there are fifty just men in the town. Will you really overwhelm them, will you not spare the place for the fifty just men in it? 25 Do not think of doing such a thing: to kill the just man with the sinner, treating just and sinner alike! Do not think of it! Will the judge of the whole earth not administer justice?’ 26 Yahweh replied, ‘If at Sodom I find fifty just men in the town, I will spare the whole place because of them.’
27 Abraham replied, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this to my Lord, I who am dust and ashes. 28 But perhaps the fifty just men lack five: will you destroy the whole city for five?’ ‘No,’ he replied ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five just men there.’ 29 Again Abraham said to him, ‘Perhaps there will only be forty there’. ‘I will not do it,’ he replied ‘for the sake of the forty.’ 30 Abraham said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry, but give me leave to speak: perhaps there will only be thirty there.’ ‘I will not do it,’ he replied, ‘if I find thirty there.’ 31 He said, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this, but perhaps there will only be twenty there’. ‘I will not destroy it,’ he replied, ‘for the sake of the twenty.’ 32 He said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.’ ‘I will not destroy it,’ he replied ‘for the sake of the ten.’
33 When he had finished talking to Abraham Yahweh went away, and Abraham returned home.
It happened some time later that God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ he called. ‘Here I am,’ he replied. 2 ‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’
3 Rising early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and started on his journey to the place God had pointed out to him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there; we will worship and come back to you.’
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, loaded it on Isaac, and carried in his own hands the fire and the knife. Then the two of them set out together. 7 Isaac spoke to his father Abraham, ‘Father,’ he said. ‘Yes, my son,’ he replied. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ 8 Abraham answered, ‘My son, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.’ Then the two of them went on together.
9 When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.
11 But the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ he said. ‘I am here,’ he replied. 12 ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy,’ the angel said. ‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your only son.’ 13 Then, looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son.