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.
Omwene te uya oweenda kuAbraham
1 Ndele Omwene okwe lihololela Abraham poshuundungila shaMamre fimbo ye a li omutumba poshivelo shetwali moshanga shomutenya. 2 Ye eshi a yelula omesho, okwa mona ovalumenhu vatatu ve li ofika komesho yaye. Ndele ye eshi e va mona okwa dja po poshivelo shetwali ta endelele e ke va shakeneke ndele te linyongamene poshi, 3 ndele ta ti: “Omwene wange, ngeenge onda mona onghenda koshipala shoye, ino koya po omupiya woye. 4 Etelweni omeva manini mu koshe eemhadi deni ndele nangaleni mu tulumukwe momudile womuti. 5 Ndele ohandi mu etele oshipambu shomungome opo eemwenyo deni di mone eenghono, nye mu shiive okutwikila, osheshi omwe uya pomupiya weni.” Ndele vo ova nyamukula tava ti: “Ninga ngaashi wa popya.” 6 Opo Abraham okwa endelela okuya ketwali kuSara, ndele ta ti: “Ninga divadiva, lunga oufila weembekele nhatu, oufila womudiva ndele ninga omingome.” 7 Opo Abraham okwa endelela okuya koshuunda, nokwa kwata onhana omhunya iwa, ndele okwe i yandja komupiya, ou e i pyakuduka diva. 8 Ndele ye okwa kufa omaadi nomashini, nonhana ei ya pyakudukwa ndele te i tula puvo, fimbo ye mwene e li ofika momudile womuti. Ndele vo ova lya.
9 Ndele ova tya kuye: “Omwalikadi woye Sara oku li peni?” Ndele ye ta nyamukula: “Oku li metwali.” 10 Ndele Ye ta ti: “Ame ohandi ke uya vali kwoove moudwaali, nohandi ka hanga Sara, omwalikadi woye, e na okaana okamati.” Ndele Sara okwa li ta pwilikine poshivelo shetwali konima yaye. 11 Ndelenee Abraham naSara ova li va kulupa, nomafiku avo omahapu. Sara kakwa li vali ha i poshi panghedi yovakainhu. 12 Ndele Sara okwe liyola mwene nokwa diladila: “Ame ohandi udu tuu vali ounyenye wohole, eshi nda kulupa ngaha, nomulumenhu wange okwa kulupa?” 13 Ndele Omwene okwa lombwela Abraham ta ti: “Omolwashike Sara a yola nokudiladila: ‘Ame ohandi ka dala tuu vali, eshi nda kulupa ngaha?’ 14 Ope na tuu sha tashi nyenge Kalunga? Pefimbo tuu eli momudo tau uya, Ame ohandi ka aluka, ndele ohandi hange Sara e na okaana okamati.” 15 Ndelenee Sara okwe likala ndele ta ti: “Ame inandi yola,” osheshi ye okwa tila. Ndele ye okwa tya: “Ahowe, ove wa yola.”
Exulilo laSodom tali shiivifilwa Abraham
16 Opo ovalumenhu va fikama ndele tava tale langhele kuSodom. Ndele Abraham okwa ya pamwe navo e va findikile. 17 Opo nee Omwene ta ti: “Ohandi dulu tuu okuholeka Abraham eshi handi ka ninga? 18 MuAbraham omo tamu ka dja shili oshiwana shinene shi na eenghono noiwana aishe kombada yedu otai ka nangekwa noupuna muye. 19 Osheshi Ame onde mu hoolola, opo a lombwele ovana vaye neumbo laye nokutya, nava diinine ondjila yOmwene, va shiive okulonga ouyuki noshili, opo Omwene a wanifile Abraham eshi Ye e mu udanekela.” 20 Omwene okwa tya natango: “Onghuwo molwaSodom naGomorra oya ninga inene shili, noulunde wavo wa ninga mudjuu unene shili. 21 Ame onda hala okukolokela poshi nokutala ngeenge ova ninga tuu shili ngaashi onghuwo yavo ya fika kwaame, ile hasho. Onda hala oku shi shiiva.”
Abraham ta ilikanene Sodom
22 Opo nee ovalumenhu va dja po va ya kuSodom, ndelenee Abraham okwa kala ofika natango koshipala shOmwene. 23 Ndele Abraham okwa ehena ndele ta ti: “Ove oto ka nyonauna po ovayuki pamwe novahenakalunga? 24 Pamwe moshilando omu omu na ovayuki omilongo nhano. Oto ke va nyonauna po, ndele ito file onghenda onhele oyo molwovayuki omilongo nhano ava ve li mo? 25 Nashi kale kokule naave oku shi ninga: u nyonaune ovayuki pamwe novahenakalunga, opo ovayuki va tokolelwe ngaashi ovahenakalunga. Nashi kale kokule naave: Omutokoli wedu alishe ita tokola pauyuki?” 26 Opo nee Omwene ta ti: “Ame ngeenge onda hange ovayuki omilongo nhano moshilando shaSodom, ohandi ka fila onghenda onhele aishe molwavo.” 27 Ndele Abraham okwa nyamukula ndele ta ti: “Tala, ame ondi na ouladi okupopya nOmwene, nande ame ondwi nomute. 28 Pamwe oto hange mo ovayuki omilongo nhee navatano ponhele yomilongo nhano? Oto ka hanauna po oshilando ashishe, ngeenge ovayuki inava hanga pomilongo nhano?” Ndele Ye okwa nyamukula ta ti: “Ame itandi ke shi hanauna po, ngeenge nda mono mo omilongo nhee navatano.” 29 Ndele ye okwa popya naye natango ndele ta ti: “Ngeenge pamwe omu na ovayuki omilongo nhee.” Ndele Ye okwa nyamukula ta ti: “Ame itandi shi ningi omolwomilongo nhee.” 30 Natango ye ta ti: “Omwene, ino handuka, ngeenge handi popi natango. Ngeenge pamwe omu na omilongo nhatu?” Ndele Ye ta nyamukula: “Ame itandi ke shi ninga, ngeenge handi mono mo omilongo nhatu.” 31 Opo nee ye ta ti: “Tala, ame ondi na ouladi okupopya nOmwene. Ngeenge pamwe omu na omilongo mbali?” Ndele Ye ta nyamukula: “Ame itandi ke shi hanauna po omolwomilongo mbali.” 32 Opo ye ta ti: “Omwene, ino handuka, nandi popye ashike lumwe aluke. Kashiimba pamwe otamu monika omulongo.” Ndele Ye ta nyamukula: “Ame itandi ke shi hanauna po omolwomulongo.” 33 Ndele Omwene okwa dja po eshi a mana okupopya naAbraham. NaAbraham okwa shuna konhele yokukala kwaye.
