A Son Is Promised to Abraham
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day, 2 he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground, 3 he said, “Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4 Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5 I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you.”
They replied, “Thank you; we accept.”
6 Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready. 8 He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate.
9 Then they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
“She is there in the tent,” he answered.
10 One of them said, “Nine months from now I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening. 11 Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too.”
13 Then the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. “I didn't laugh,” she said.
“Yes, you did,” he replied. “You laughed.”
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16 Then the men left and went to a place where they could look down at Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17 And the Lord said to himself, “I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18 His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations. 19 I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised.”
20 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21 I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true.”
22 Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached the Lord and asked, “Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24 If there are fifty innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city? Won't you spare it in order to save the fifty? 25 Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly.”
26 The Lord answered, “If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”
27 Abraham spoke again: “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything. 28 But perhaps there will be only forty-five innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?”
The Lord answered, “I will not destroy the city if I find forty-five innocent people.”
29 Abraham spoke again: “Perhaps there will be only forty.”
He replied, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.”
30 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, but I must speak again. What if there are only thirty?”
He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty.”
31 Abraham said, “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. Suppose that only twenty are found?”
He said, “I will not destroy the city if I find twenty.”
32 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak only once more. What if only ten are found?”
He said, “I will not destroy it if there are ten.” 33 After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the Lord went away, and Abraham returned home.
ǃNona sari-aogu
1 ǃKhūb ge Abrahamma Mamres di aikehaidi tawa ge ǂhai. ǁNāpab Abrahamma ǁîb tentoms di ǂgâ-ams tawa, ǁîb a kaise ǀgamsa ǁaeb tsēs dib ai ǂnôa 2 hîab ge kōkhâib geo, ǃnona khoegu ǁîb ais ai mâga ge mû. ǁÎb ge ǁîgab ge mûo, ǁîga ge ǃkhoeǃoa. Tsîb ge Abrahamma ais âb ra ǃhūba tsâǀkhāse ǃhon 3 tsî ge mî: “ǃGôahesago, tā go toxopa ti oms tawa ǀkhī tamase ǃkharu re. 4 A ta ǁanǂaiǃnâ go nî ǁgam-e ǀkhī-ūba go, î go nē hais ǃnaka sâ re. 5 A ta ǁkhāti ǂûxū-e hā-ūba go re sorodi âgo go nî aiǃâb ǃoa garu ǃgûs âgo ǃaroma ǀgaiǀgaise. Ti oms tawa hās ǀkha go go tita ǃgôasiba mā xuige a ta ǃoaba go re.”
O gu ge “Ā, ǂhanu a, xuige ǁnāti dī re” ti ge mî.
6 Ob ge Abrahamma ǃnoesase tentoms ǃnâ sī ǂgâ tsî Sarasa ge mîba: “ǃHaese sa ǂoaǂamsa mel-e xu ū, î pere-i xa am re.” 7 Tsîb ge goman ǁga ǃkhoe tsî ǂoaǂamsa tsâun âb di ǀgui-e ū tsî ǃgāba ge mā, ǃhaeseb sī nē sari-aoga nî ǂhomibase. 8 ǁÎb ge âudai-i, ǀâdai-i tsî ǁgan-i tsîna hā-ū tsî khoega ge mâi-aiǃâ. Tsîb ge ǁîga ǃoaba tsî hais ǃnaka ǁîgu ra ǂû hîa ge mâ.
9 Tsî gu ge “Sa taras Sarasa mâpa hâ?” ti ge dî bi.
Ob ge Abrahamma “Tentoms ǃnâ hâ” ti ge ǃeream.
10 Ob ge ǁîgu di ǀguiba ge mî: “ǃGoaxa kurib di nē ǁaeb ai ta ga oahā, os ge sa taras, Sarasa aore ǀgôaba nî ūhâ.”
ǁNā ǁaeb ais ge Sarasa ǁîb ǃgâb ai, tentoms di ǂgâ-ams tawa mâ tsî gere ǃgâ. 11 Abrahammi tsî Saras hâra ge kaise ge kaira hâ i, tsîs ge Sarasa ǀgôa-es ga ǁora hâ ǁaeb tsîn xa ǀnai ge ǃkharuǀkhāhe hâ i. 12 Os ge Sarasa ǁîs ǃnâ âi tsî ge ǂâi: “Tita nētikōse kaira hâ ta, xare ta ǁomǁares di tura-e noxopa ūhâ? Tsî ǁnās ǀgui tamas, ti aob tsîn kom kaise kaira hâo.”
13 Ob ge ǃKhūba Abrahamma ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaromas Sarasa âi tsî ‘Amase ta kha nētikōse ta kaira hâ hîa ǀgôa-e ǁora ǁkhā?’ ti go mî. 14 Xū-i ǃKhūba ǃgomba-i xare-e kha hâ? ǀNai ta go mî khamis ge Sarasa ǃgoaxa kurib di nē ǁaeb ai ta ga oahā, o aoreǀgôaba nî ūhâ.”
15 Os ge Sarasa ǃaos gere xui-ao ǀūxū tsî “Âi tama ta ge go hâ i” ti ge mî.
Ob ge ǃKhūba “Hî-î, âis go” ti ge mî.
Abrahammi ge Sodomsa ra ǀkhomaba
16 O gu ge khoega ǂûtoa gu geo khâi tsî Abrahammi xa ǃgûǂuihe hâse ge ǃgû. Tsî gu ge Sodoms ai gu ra kōǁgôa ǃkhai-i tawa ge sī. 17 Ob ge ǃKhūba ge mî: “Tita ge tare-e ta ra dī ǂgao ǃkhaisa Abrahamma xu gaugau tide. 18 ǁÎb di surib ge kai tsî ǀgaisa ǁaese nî ī tsî ta ge ǁîb ǃnâ-u hoaraga ǁaede nî ǀkhae. 19 Tita ge ǁîba ge ǁhûiǂui ǁîb ôagu tsî suribab tita ǁnâuǀnam tsîn ǃgâi tsî ǂhanu-ai xūna nî dīse nî mîmāse. Tsîn ga ǁnāsa dī, o ta ge hoaraga xūn ǁîba ta ge mîmâibana nî dī.”
20 Tsîb ge ǃKhūba Abrahamma ge mîba: “ǁNāpan ge kaise ǁgaisi xūna Sodoms tsî Gomoras hâra xa ra ǃhoahe tsîb ge ǁîra ǁoreba kaise a kai. 21 ǁNā-amaga ta ge ǁgôa tsî nē hâ ǀhapiǂnûiǀkhādi a ama ǃkhaisa sī nî ǂanǂuikaisen.”
22 ǃKhūb ge Abrahammi ǀkha nau khoekha ge Sodoms ǁga ǃgû, o ge hâ-oa. 23 Ob ge Abrahamma ǃKhūba ge dî: “Ots kha amase ǂhanu-ain tsîna ǁnān hîa a ǂkhaban ǀkha nî hîkākā? 24 Korodisi ǂhanu-ai khoen ga ǁnā ǃās ǃnâ hâo, hoaraga ǃāsats nî hîkākā? ǁÎsats ǁnā korodisin ǃaroma ǁnâi sâu tide? 25 Amasets ge ǂhanu-aina ǂkhaban ǀkha a ǃgam ǁoa. ǁNās ge a īǁoa! Amasets kom toxopa ǁnāsa a dī ǁoao. Tsîts ǁnāsa nî dīs ka, on kom ǀhapiona ǀhapixan ǀkha ǀguitikōse nî ǁkharaheo. Ob kha hoaraga ǃhūbaib di ǀGoraǃgâ-aoba ǂhanuse ǁnâi dī tide?”
26 Ob ge ǃKhūba “Korodisi ǂhanu-ai khoena ta ga Sodoms ǃnâ hō, o ta ge ǁîn ǃaroma hoaraga ǃāsa nî sâu” ti ge mî.
27 Ob ge Abrahamma “Tsara tsî ta tsaos ǀguisa i, xawe ta ge ǁkhoasib, ǃKhūb ǀkha ǃhoas diba go ūhâ i. 28 On ga hakadisikoroǀa ǂhanu-ai khoen ǀguina hâ, ots kha koron ra korodisisa xu ǃnubu xui-ao hoaraga ǃāsa nî hîkākā?”
Ob ge ǃKhūba “Hakadisikoroǀa ǂhanu-ai khoena ta ga hō, o ta ge ǃāsa hîkākā tide” ti ge ǃeream bi.
29 Ob ge Abrahamma ǁkhawa “ǀNîsin ge hakadisi khoen ǀguina hâ” ti ge mî.
Ob ge “Hakadisi ǂhanu-ai khoen ga hâ, o ta ge ǃāsa hîkākā tide” ti ǃKhūb xa ge ǃereamhe.
30 ǃAruǀîb ge Abrahamma “Tā toxopa ǁkhawa ta ra ǃhoa ǃkhais xa ǁaixa re ǃKhūtse. O ǃnonadisin ǀguin ga hâo mâtis?” ti ge dî.
“Tita ge ǃnonadisin kao, ǃāsa hîkākā tide” tib ge ǁîba Abrahamma ge ǃeream.
31 Ob ge Abrahamma “ǁKhoasib ǃKhūb ǀkha ǃhoas diba ta ūhâ xui-ao ta ge ra dî. Ots ga ǀgamdisi khoen ǀguina hō, o mâtis?” ti ge dî.
Ob ge ǁîba Abrahamma ge ǃeream: “ǀGamdisi ǂhanu-ai khoen ga hâ, o ta ge ǃāsa hîkākā tide.”
32 Ob ge Abrahamma “Tā toxopa ǁaixa-ū te re ǃKhūtse. A ta ǀgui ǃnās ǀguisa noxopa dî re. O disin ǀguin ga ǂhanu-ai o mâtits nî dī?” ti ge dî.
Ob ge “Disi ǂhanu-ai khoen ga hâ o ta ge ǃāsa nî sâu” ti ge ǃeream bi. 33 Abrahammi ǀkhab ge ǃhoatoas khaoǃgâb ge ǃKhūba ge bē tsîb ge Abrahamma oms âb ǁga ge ǁaru.