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Genesis · Literal Standard Version

Genesis 18 Literal Standard Version

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About LSV
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Majority (Byzantine) text
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Very literal
  • 2020
  • CC BY-SA 4.0

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 And YHWH appears to him among the oaks of Mamre, and he is sitting at the opening of the tent, about the heat of the day; 2 and he lifts up his eyes and looks, and behold, three men standing by him, and he sees, and runs to meet them from the opening of the tent, and bows himself toward the earth, 3 and he says, “My Lord, if now I have found grace in Your eyes, please do not pass on from Your servant; 4 please let a little water be accepted, and wash Your feet, and recline under the tree; 5 and I bring a piece of bread, and support Your heart; afterward pass on, for therefore You have passed over to Your servant”; and they say, “So may you do as you have spoken.” 6 And Abraham hurries toward the tent, to Sarah, and says, “Hurry three measures of flour-meal, knead, and make cakes”; 7 and Abraham ran to the herd, and takes a son of the herd, tender and good, and gives to the young man, and he hurries to prepare it; 8 and he takes butter and milk, and the son of the herd which he has prepared, and sets before them; and he is standing by them under the tree, and they eat. 9 And they say to him, “Where [is] Sarah your wife?” And he says, “Behold—in the tent”; 10 and He says, “Returning I return to you, about the time of life, and behold, to Sarah your wife a son.” And Sarah is listening at the opening of the tent, which is behind him; 11 and Abraham and Sarah [are] aged, entering into days—the way of women has ceased to be to Sarah; 12 and Sarah laughs in her heart, saying, “After I have waxed old have I had pleasure? My lord [is] also old!” 13 And YHWH says to Abraham, “Why [is] this? Sarah has laughed, saying, Is it really true—I bear—and I am aged? 14 Is anything too wonderful for YHWH? At the appointed time I return to you, about the time of life, and Sarah has a son.” 15 And Sarah denies, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she has been afraid; and He says, “No, but you did laugh.” 16 And the men rise from there, and look on the face of Sodom, and Abraham is going with them to send them away; 17 and YHWH said, “Am I concealing from Abraham that which I am doing, 18 and Abraham certainly becomes a great and mighty nation, and blessed in him have been all nations of the earth? 19 For I have known him, that he commands his children, and his house after him (and they have kept the way of YHWH), to do righteousness and judgment, that YHWH may bring on Abraham that which He has spoken concerning him.” 20 And YHWH says, “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah—because great; and their sin—because exceedingly grievous: 21 I go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming to Me they have done completely—and if not—I know”; 22 and the men turn from there, and go toward Sodom; and Abraham is yet standing before YHWH. 23 And Abraham draws near and says, “Do You also consume righteous with wicked? 24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous in the midst of the city; do You also consume, and not bear with the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who [are] in its midst? 25 Far be it from You to do according to this thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked; that it has been—as the righteous so the wicked—far be it from You; does the Judge of all the earth not do justice?” 26 And YHWH says, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city, then have I borne with all the place for their sake.” 27 And Abraham answers and says, “Now behold, I have willed to speak to the Lord, and I [am] dust and ashes; 28 perhaps there are lacking five of the fifty righteous—do You destroy for five the whole of the city?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], if I find there forty-five.” 29 And he adds again to speak to Him and says, “Perhaps there are found there forty?” And He says, “I do not do [it], because of the forty.” 30 And he says, “Please let it not be displeasing to the Lord, and I speak: perhaps there are found there thirty?” And He says, “I do not do [it], if I find there thirty.” 31 And he says, “Now behold, I have willed to speak to the Lord: perhaps there are found there twenty?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], because of the twenty.” 32 And he says, “Please let it not be displeasing to the Lord, and I speak only this time: perhaps there are found there ten?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], because of the ten.” 33 And YHWH goes on, when He has finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham has turned back to his place.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Abraham

    Father of nations

    Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25

  • Sarah

    Matriarch, mother of Isaac

    Wife of Abraham who bore Isaac in her old age, long after hope seemed gone.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 17-21

Cross references (32)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Genesis 14:13; Genesis 13:18; Genesis 48:3; Acts 7:2; Genesis 26:2
  2. 2 Hebrews 13:2; Genesis 18:22; Genesis 19:1; Judges 13:3; Genesis 23:7
  3. 4 Genesis 43:24; Genesis 24:32; Genesis 19:2; Luke 7:44; 1 Samuel 25:41
  4. 5 Psalm 104:15; Judges 6:18; Judges 13:15; Matthew 6:11; Judges 19:5
  5. 6 Matthew 13:33; Galatians 5:13; Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; Luke 10:38–40
  6. 7 Judges 13:15–16; Matthew 22:4; Luke 15:27; Amos 6:4; Luke 15:30
  7. 8 Genesis 19:3; Acts 10:41; Judges 13:15; John 12:2; Revelation 3:20
  8. 9 Titus 2:5; Genesis 24:67; Genesis 4:9; Genesis 31:33
  9. 10 Genesis 21:2; Genesis 17:21; Romans 9:8–9; Genesis 17:19; 2 Kings 4:16–17
  10. 11 Genesis 17:17; Hebrews 11:11–12; Luke 1:36; Romans 4:18–21; Leviticus 15:19
  11. 12 1 Peter 3:6; Genesis 17:17; Luke 1:18–20; Genesis 21:6–7; Luke 1:34–35
  12. 13 John 2:25
  13. 14 Luke 1:37; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Jeremiah 32:27; Ephesians 3:20
  14. 15 Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:8; Ephesians 4:23; Psalm 44:21; John 18:25–27
  15. 16 Acts 21:5; Acts 15:3; Acts 20:38; 3 John 6; Romans 15:24
  16. 17 Amos 3:7; Psalm 25:14; John 15:15; Genesis 19:24; James 2:23
  17. 18 Galatians 3:8; Genesis 26:4; Galatians 3:14; Genesis 12:2–3; Genesis 22:17–18
  18. 19 1 Timothy 3:4–5; Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Deuteronomy 4:9–10; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:15
  19. 20 Genesis 19:13; Ezekiel 16:49–50; Isaiah 3:9; Genesis 13:13; Genesis 4:10
  20. 21 Exodus 3:8; Genesis 11:5; Joshua 22:22; Zephaniah 1:12; Deuteronomy 8:2
  21. 22 Genesis 19:1; 1 Timothy 2:1; Acts 7:55; Ezekiel 22:30; Jeremiah 18:20
  22. 23 Numbers 16:22; 2 Samuel 24:17; Genesis 20:4; Genesis 18:25; Psalm 11:4–7
  23. 24 Jeremiah 5:1; Isaiah 1:9; Matthew 7:13–14; Genesis 18:32; Acts 27:24
  24. 25 Job 8:20; Job 8:3; Isaiah 3:10–11; Psalm 58:11; Deuteronomy 32:4
  25. 26 Jeremiah 5:1; Matthew 24:22; Isaiah 65:8; Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 10:22
  26. 27 Isaiah 6:5; Genesis 3:19; Luke 5:8; Isaiah 64:8; Job 30:19
  27. 28 Genesis 18:26; Job 23:3–4; Numbers 14:17–19; Genesis 18:29; 1 Kings 20:32–33
  28. 29 Ephesians 6:18; Hebrews 4:16
  29. 30 Psalm 10:17; Job 40:4; Isaiah 55:8–9; Hebrews 12:28–29; Psalm 89:7
  30. 31 Luke 11:8; Matthew 7:7; Hebrews 10:20–22; Hebrews 4:16; Luke 18:1
  31. 32 James 5:15–17; Judges 6:39; Matthew 7:7; 1 John 5:15–16; Ephesians 3:20
  32. 33 Genesis 32:26; Genesis 18:22; Genesis 18:16; Genesis 31:55

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 18:27 Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Chapters XIV–XVIII)

    Abraham was specially honoured, and was called the friend of God; yet he, earnestly regarding the glory of God, humbly declared, "I am but dust and ashes." Moreover, it is thus written of Job, "Job was a righteous man, and blameless, truthful, God-fearing, and one that kept himself from all evil." But bringing an accusation against himself, he said, "No …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 18:27 Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (Book I)

    Still suffer me to speak before Thy mercy--me, "dust and ashes." Suffer me to speak, for, behold, it is Thy mercy I address, and not derisive man.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)

  3. Quotes verse 18:17 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XXVI)

    So likewise He doth in Abraham's case, saying, "I will by no means hide from Abraham my servant;" to make thee know that man's kindly affection, and his care for Sodom.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  4. Quotes verse 18:27 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture VI)

    A great and honourable man was Abraham, but only great in comparison with men; and when he came before God, then speaking the truth candidly he saith, I am earth and ashes.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)

  5. Quotes verse 18:18 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book X, Chapters 7–9)

    I should seem tedious were I to recount all the ancient miracles, which were wrought in attestation of God's promises which He made to Abraham thousands of years ago, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. For who can but marvel that Abraham's barren wife should have given birth to a son at an …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)