1. AND God appeared to him in the vale of mambre as he sat in the dore of his tent, in the verie heat of the day.
2. And when he had lifted vp his eyes, there appeared to him three men standing nere vnto him: whom after he had sene, he ranne to meete them from the dore of his tent, and adored to the ground.
3. And He said Lord, if I haue found grace in thy sight, goe not past thy seruant:
4. but I wil fetch a little water, and wash ye your feete, and rest ye vnder the tree.
5. And I wil fet a morsel of bread, and strengthen your hart, afterward you shal passe: for therfore are you come aside to your seruát. Who said: Do as thou hast spoken.
6. Abraham made hast into the tent to Sara, and said to her: Make hast, temper togeather three measures of floure, and make harth cakes.
7. But him selfe ranne to the heard, and tooke from thence a calfe verie tender and verie good, and gaue it to a young man: who made hast and boiled it.
8. He tooke also butter and mylke, and the calfe which he had boyled, and set before them: but him selfe did stand beside them vnder the tree.
9. And when they had eaten, they said to him: Where is Sara thy wife? He answered: Loe she is in the tent.
10. To whom he said: Returning I wil come to thee at this time, life accompaning, and Sara thy wife shal haue a sonne. Which when Sara heard, she laughed behind the dore of the tent.
11. And they were both aged, and farre entred in yeares, and it ceased to be with Sara after the maner of wemen.
12. Who laughed secreatly saying: After I am waxen old, & my Lord is an old one, shal I geue my selfe to pleasure?
13. And our Lord said to Abraham: Why did Sara laugh, saying: Shal I an old woman beare a child in deed?
14. Is there any thing hard to God? According to appointment I wil returne to thee this verie selfe same time, life accompaynig, and Sara shal haue a sonne.
15. Sara denied, saying: I laughed not: being much afraid. But our Lord: It is not so, saith he: but thou didst laugh.
16. When the men therfore were risen vp from thence, they turned their eyes against Sodome: and Abraham did goe with them, bringing them on the way.
17. And our Lord said: Can I conceale from Abraham the things which I wil doe:
18. wheras he shal be into a nation great, and verie strong, and in him are TO BE BLESSED al the nations of the earth?
19. For I know that he wil commande his children, and his house after him that they kepe the way of the Lord, and doe iudgement and iustice: that for Abrahams sake the Lord may bring to effect al the things that he hath spoken vnto him. Therfore said our Lord.
20. The crye of Sodome, and Gomorre is multiplied, and their sinne is aggrauated excedingly.
21. I wil descend, and see whether they haue in acte accomplished the crye that is come to me: or whether it be not so, that I may know.
22. And they turned them selues from thence, and went their way to Sodome: but Abraham as yet stood before our Lord.
23. And approching he said: what! wilt thou destroy the iust with the wicked?
24. If there shalbe fiftie iust persons in the citie, shal they perish withal? and wilt thou spare that place for fiftie iust, if they be therin?
25. Be it farre from thee, that thou doe this thing, and that thou kil the iust with the wicked, and that the iust be in like case as the wicked, this is not beseeming thee: which iudgest al the earth, no thou wilt not do this iudgement.
26. And our Lord said to him: If I shal find in Sodome fiftie iust persons within the citie, I wil spare the whole place for their sake.
27. And Abraham answered, and said: Because I haue once begunne, I wil speake to my Lord, wheras I am dust and ashes.
28. What if there shal be fiue lesse then fiftie iust persons? wilt thou for fortie fiue destroy the whole citie? And he said: I wil not destroy it, if I shal finde fiue and fourtie.
29. And againe he said vnto him: But if fourtie shalbe found there, what wilt thou doe? He said: I wil not strike it for fourties sake.
30. Lord, saith he, be not angrie I besech thee, if I speake: what if thirtie shal be founde there? He answered: I wil not doe it, if I shal find thirtie there.
31. Because, saith he, I haue once begunne, I wil speake to my Lord: What if twentie shalbe founde there? He said: I wil not destroy it for twenties sake.
32. I beseech thee, saith he, be not angrie Lord, if I speake yet once more: What if tenne shalbe found there? And he said: I wil not destroy it for tennes sake.
33. And our Lord departed after that he ceased to speake vnto Abraham: and Abraham returned into his place.