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The
Three Visitors
1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men
stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from
the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My LORD, if now I have found favor in thy
sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash
your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye
your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are
ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast
said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and
said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead
it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf
tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted
to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he
had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them
under the tree, and they did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And
he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee
according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall
have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was
behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in
age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of
women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After
I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah
laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am
old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time
appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of
life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked
toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on
the way.
17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that
thing which I do;
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and
mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be
blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and
his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the
LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring
upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and
Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto
me; and if not, I will know.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went
toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also
destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the
city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the
fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to
slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous
should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not
the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous
within the city, then I will spare all the place for their
sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have
taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and
ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty
righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?
And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not
destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said,
Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said,
I will not do it for forty's sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry,
and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found
there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty
there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to
speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty
found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's
sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will
speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found
there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left
communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
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Cults 
Why Did God Permit Sin?
