topch 18 next
Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
Chapter 18
Birth of Isaac Promised
1 ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πρὸς τῇ δρυὶ τῇ Μαμβρῆ καθημένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ μεσημβρίας. 2 ἀναβλέψας δὲ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ εἶδεν, καὶ ἰδοὺ τρεῖς ἄνδρες εἱστήκεισαν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἰδὼν προσέδραμεν εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν 3 καὶ εἶπεν κύριε, εἰ ἄρα εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου, μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῖδά σου· 4 λημφθήτω δὴ ὕδωρ, καὶ νιψάτωσαν τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν, καὶ καταψύξατε ὑπὸ τὸ δένδρον· 5 καὶ λήμψομαι ἄρτον, καὶ φάγεσθε, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο παρελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῶν, οὗ εἵνεκεν1 ἐξεκλίνατε πρὸς τὸν παῖδα ὑμῶν. καὶ εἶπαν, οὕτως ποίησον, καθὼς εἴρηκας. 1 And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre as he sat at the door of his tent at noon. 2 And having looked up with his eyes, he saw, and behold, three men stood above him; and seeing them, he ran to meet them from the door of his tent and bowed down upon the earth. 3 And he said, "Lord, if indeed I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. 4 Let water now be brought, and let them wash your feet, and you shall cool yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring bread, and you shall eat; and after this, you shall pass on your way, for which reason you have turned aside to your servant." And they said, "Do so, just as you have said."
6 καὶ ἔσπευσεν Ἁβραὰμ ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν πρὸς Σάρραν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ σπεῦσον καὶ φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως καὶ ποίησον ἐγκρυφίας. 7 καὶ εἰς τὰς βόας ἔδραμεν Ἁβραὰμ καὶ ἔλαβεν μοσχάριον ἁπαλὸν καὶ καλὸν καὶ ἔδωκεν τῷ παιδί, καὶ ἐτάχυνεν τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτό. 8 ἔλαβεν δὲ βούτυρον καὶ γάλα καὶ τὸ μοσχάριον, ὃ ἐποίησεν, καὶ παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐφάγοσαν· αὐτὸς δὲ παρειστήκει αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τὸ δένδρον. 6 And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said to her, "Hurry and knead three measures of fine flour and make hearth-cakes." 7 And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared and set them before them, and they ate; and he himself stood by them under the tree.
9 εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν, ποῦ Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου; ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ. 10 εἶπεν δέ, ἐπαναστρέφων ἥξω πρὸς σὲ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰς ὥρας, καὶ ἕξει υἱὸν Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου. Σάρρα δὲ ἤκουσεν πρὸς τῇ θύρᾳ τῆς σκηνῆς, οὖσα ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ. 11 Ἁβραὰμ δὲ καὶ Σάρρα πρεσβύτεροι προβεβηκότες ἡμερῶν, ἐξέλιπεν δὲ Σάρρα γίνεσθαι τὰ γυναικεῖα. 12 ἐγέλασεν δὲ Σάρρα ἐν ἑαυτῇ λέγουσα, οὔπω μέν μοι γέγονεν ἕως τοῦ νῦν, ὁ δὲ κύριός μου πρεσβύτερος. 13 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Ἁβραάμ, τί ὅτι ἐγέλασεν Σάρρα ἐν ἑαυτῇ λέγουσα, ἆρά γε ἀληθῶς τέξομαι; ἐγὼ δὲ γεγήρακα. 14 μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ῥῆμα; εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἀναστρέψω πρὸς σὲ εἰς ὥρας, καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρα υἱός. 15 ἠρνήσατο δὲ Σάρρα λέγουσα, οὐκ ἐγέλασα· ἐφοβήθη γάρ. καὶ εἶπεν, οὐχί ἀλλὰ ἐγέλασας. 9 And he said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he answered and said, "Behold, in the tent." 10 And he said, "Returning, I will come to you at this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah heard at the door of the tent, being behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in days; and the manner of women had ceased for Sarah. 12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "It has not happened to me until now, and my lord is old." 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, "Why is it that Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'Shall I indeed truly bear? For I have grown old.' 14 Is anything impossible for God?[1] At this time I will return to you next year, and Sarah shall have a son." 15 And Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh."
[1]The Greek μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ῥῆμα literally asks, "Is any word/matter impossible with God?" This specific phrasing is echoed by the angel Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1:37.
16 ἐξαναστάντες δὲ ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες κατέβλεψαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρας, Ἁβραὰμ δὲ συνεπορεύετο μετ' αὐτῶν συμπροπέμπων αὐτούς. 17 ὁ δὲ κύριος εἶπεν, μὴ κρύψω ἐγὼ ἀπὸ Ἁβραὰμ τοῦ παιδὸς μου ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ; 18 Ἁβραὰμ δὲ γινόμενος ἔσται εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ πολύ καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς. 19 ᾔδειν γὰρ ὅτι συντάξει τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτόν, καὶ φυλάξουσιν τὰς ὁδοὺς κυρίου ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν· ὅπως ἄν ἐπαγάγῃ κύριος ἐπὶ Ἁβραὰμ πάντα, ὅσα ἐλάλησεν πρὸς αὐτόν. 16 And the men, rising up from there, looked down upon the face of Sodom and Gomorrah; and Abraham went with them, seeing them on their way. 17 And the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham My servant the things that I am doing? 18 For Abraham shall surely become a great and numerous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. 19 For I knew that he would command his sons and his house after him, and they shall keep the ways of the Lord to do righteousness and judgment, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham all that He spoke to him."
20 εἶπεν δὲ κύριος, κραυγὴ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρας πεπλήθυνται, καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῶν μεγάλαι σφόδρα· 21 καταβὰς οὖν ὄψομαι εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με συντελοῦνται,2 εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ. 22 καὶ ἀποστρέψαντες ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες ἦλθον εἰς Σόδομα, Ἁβραὰμ δὲ ἦν ἑστηκὼς ἐναντίον κυρίου. 20 And the Lord said, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has been multiplied, and their sins are exceedingly great. 21 Therefore, going down, I will see if they are altogether doing according to their cry which comes to Me; and if not, that I may know." 22 And the men, having turned away from there, went to Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.
23 καὶ ἐγγίσας Ἁβραὰμ εἶπεν, μὴ συναπολέσῃς δίκαιον μετὰ ἀσεβοῦς καὶ ἔσται ὁ δίκαιος ὡς ὁ ἀσεβής; 24 ἐὰν ὦσιν πεντήκοντα δίκαιοι ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀπολεῖς αὐτούς; οὐκ ἀνήσεις πάντα τὸν τόπον ἕνεκεν τῶν πεντήκοντα δικαίων, ἐὰν ὦσιν ἐν αὐτῇ; 25 μηδαμῶς σὺ ποιήσεις ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι δίκαιον μετὰ ἀσεβοῦς, καὶ ἔσται ὁ δίκαιος ὡς ὁ ἀσεβής. μηδαμῶς· ὁ κρίνων πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν οὐ ποιήσεις κρίσιν; 26 εἶπεν δὲ κύριος, ἐὰν εὕρω ἐν Σοδόμοις πεντήκοντα δικαίους ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἀφήσω πάντα τὸν τόπον δι' αὐτούς. 23 And drawing near, Abraham said, "Would You destroy the righteous with the ungodly? And shall the righteous be as the ungodly? 24 If there should be fifty righteous in the city, will You destroy them? Will You not spare the whole place for the sake of the fifty righteous, if they are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do according to this word, to kill the righteous with the ungodly, so that the righteous should be as the ungodly. Far be it! Shall He who judges all the earth not do judgment?" 26 And the Lord said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake."
27 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Ἁβραὰμ εἶπεν, νῦν ἠρξάμην λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον, ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός· 28 ἐὰν δὲ ἐλαττονωθῶσιν οἱ πεντήκοντα δίκαιοι πέντε, ἀπολεῖς ἕνεκεν τῶν πέντε πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω, ἐὰν εὕρω ἐκεῖ τεσσαράκοντα πέντε. 29 καὶ προσέθηκεν ἔτι λαλῆσαι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπεν, ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ τεσσαράκοντα; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν τεσσαράκοντα. 30 καὶ εἶπεν, μή τι, κύριε, ἐὰν λαλήσω· ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ τριάκοντα καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἐὰν εὕρω ἐκεῖ τριάκοντα. 31 καὶ εἶπεν, ἐπειδὴ ἔχω λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον, ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ εἴκοσι καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν εἴκοσι. 32 καὶ εἶπεν, μή τι, κύριε, ἐὰν λαλήσω ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ δέκα; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν δέκα. 33 ἀπῆλθεν δὲ κύριος, ὡς ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν τῷ Ἁβραάμ, καὶ Ἁβραὰμ ἀπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ. 27 And Abraham answered and said,[1] "Now I have begun to speak to the Lord, though I am but earth and ashes.[2] 28 But if the fifty righteous should be less by five, would You destroy the whole city for the sake of the five?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if I find there forty-five." 29 And he continued to speak to Him further and said, "But if forty should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty." 30 And he said, "Let it be nothing, Lord, if I speak: but if thirty should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if I find there thirty." 31 And he said, "Since I have it to speak to the Lord: but if twenty should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty." 32 And he said, "Let it be nothing, Lord, if I speak yet once more: but if ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten." 33 And the Lord departed when He ceased speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
[1]This is the first instance of a human "bargaining" with God for mercy based on the presence of a righteous minority.
[2]Abraham’s self-description as γῆ καὶ σποδός (earth and ashes) became a standard liturgical expression of human humility.