1The 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, 2he 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, 3he said, "Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5I 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." 6Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread." 7Then 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. 8He 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.
9Then they asked him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" "She is there in the tent," he answered. 10One 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. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12So 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." 13Then the LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Can I really have a child when I am so old?' 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son." 15Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. "I didn't laugh," she said. "Yes, you did," he replied. "You laughed."
16Then 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. 17And the LORD said to himself, "I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations. 19I 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." 20Then the LORD said to Abraham, "There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true."
22Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham. 23Abraham approached the LORD and asked, "Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24If 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? 25Surely 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." 26The LORD answered, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake." 27Abraham 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. 28But 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." 29Abraham spoke again: "Perhaps there will be only forty." He replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty." 30Abraham 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." 31Abraham 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." 32Abraham 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." 33After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the LORD went away, and Abraham returned home.
maltose (09/23/2008)
神应许亚伯拉罕得儿子
A Son Is Promised to Abraham
1耶和华在幔利橡树那里，向亚伯拉罕显现出来。那时正热，亚伯拉罕坐在帐棚门口，2举目观看，见有三个人在对面站着。他一见，就从帐棚门口跑去迎接他们，俯伏在地，3说：“我主，我若在你眼前蒙恩，求你不要离开仆人往前去。4容我拿点水来，你们洗洗脚，在树下歇息歇息。5我再拿一点饼来，你们可以加添心力，然后往前去。你们既到仆人这里来，理当如此。”他们说：“就照你说的行吧！”6亚伯拉罕急忙进帐棚见撒拉，说：“你速速拿三细亚细面调和作饼。”7亚伯拉罕又跑到牛群里，牵了一只又嫩又好的牛犊来，交给仆人，仆人急忙预备好了。8亚伯拉罕又取了奶油和奶，并预备好的牛犊来，摆在他们面前，自己在树下站在旁边，他们就吃了。
1The 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, 2he 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, 3he said, "Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. 4Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. 5I 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."
6Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread." 7Then 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. 8He 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他们问亚伯拉罕说：“你妻子撒拉在哪里？”他说：“在帐棚里。”10三人中有一位说：“到明年这时候，我必要回到你这里，你的妻子撒拉必生一个儿子。”撒拉在那人后边的帐棚门口也听见了这话。11亚伯拉罕和撒拉年纪老迈，撒拉的月经已断绝了。12撒拉心里暗笑，说：“我既已衰败，我主也老迈，岂能有这喜事呢？”13耶和华对亚伯拉罕说：“撒拉为什么暗笑，说：‘我既已年老，果真能生养吗？’14耶和华岂有难成的事吗？到了日期，明年这时候，我必回到你这里，撒拉必生一个儿子。”15撒拉就害怕，不承认，说：“我没有笑。”那位说：“不然，你实在笑了。”
9Then they asked him, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
"She is there in the tent," he answered.
10One 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. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. 12So 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."
13Then the LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Can I really have a child when I am so old?' 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son."
15Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. "I didn't laugh," she said.
"Yes, you did," he replied. "You laughed."
亚伯拉罕为所多玛祈求
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16三人就从那里起行，向所多玛观看，亚伯拉罕也与他们同行，要送他们一程。17耶和华说：“我所要作的事岂可瞒着亚伯拉罕呢？18亚伯拉罕必要成为强大的国，地上的万国都必因他得福。19我眷顾他，为要叫他吩咐他的众子和他的眷属遵守我的道，秉公行义，使我所应许亚伯拉罕的话都成就了。”20耶和华说：“所多玛和蛾摩拉的罪恶甚重，声闻于我。21我现在要下去，察看他们所行的，果然尽像那达到我耳中的声音一样吗？若是不然，我也必知道。”
16Then 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. 17And the LORD said to himself, "I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do. 18His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations. 19I 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."
20Then the LORD said to Abraham, "There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true."
22二人转身离开那里，向所多玛去，但亚伯拉罕仍旧站在耶和华面前。23亚伯拉罕近前来说：“无论善恶，你都要剿灭吗？24假若那城里有五十个义人，你还剿灭那地方吗？不为城里这五十个义人饶恕其中的人吗？25将义人与恶人同杀，将义人与恶人一样看待，这断不是你所行的。审判全地的主岂不行公义吗？”26耶和华说：“我若在所多玛城里见有五十个义人，我就为他们的缘故饶恕那地方的众人。”27亚伯拉罕说：“我虽然是灰尘，还敢对主说话。28假若这五十个义人短了五个，你就因为短了五个毁灭全城吗？”他说：“我在那里若见有四十五个，也不毁灭那城。”29亚伯拉罕又对他说：“假若在那里见有四十个怎么样呢？”他说：“为这四十个的缘故，我也不作这事。”30亚伯拉罕说：“求主不要动怒，容我说，假若在那里见有三十个怎么样呢？”他说：“我在那里若见有三十个，我也不作这事。”31亚伯拉罕说：“我还敢对主说话，假若在那里见有二十个怎么样呢？”他说：“为这二十个的缘故，我也不毁灭那城。”32亚伯拉罕说：“求主不要动怒，我再说这一次，假若在那里见有十个呢？”他说：“为这十个的缘故，我也不毁灭那城。”33耶和华与亚伯拉罕说完了话就走了；亚伯拉罕也回到自己的地方去了。
22Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham. 23Abraham approached the LORD and asked, "Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24If 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? 25Surely 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."
26The LORD answered, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake."
27Abraham 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. 28But 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."
29Abraham spoke again: "Perhaps there will be only forty."
He replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty."
30Abraham 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."
31Abraham 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."
32Abraham 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." 33After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the LORD went away, and Abraham returned home.
如果亚伯拉罕再继续求下去，Sodom倒是可以逃过一劫，可惜他求到10个就停了。