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Ch. XVIII. and gave it to a servant and urged him to dress it quickly. And he took butter and milk and the calf whichhe had dressed and set it before them, and they ate, and he stood by them under the tree. And he said to Abraham, Where is Sarah thy wife? And Abraham said, Behold! in the tent. Then he said, I will return and come to thee about this time twelve month, and Sarah thy wife will have a son. And Sarah heard, being at the door of the tent behind them. (Now Abraham and Sarah were far advanced in life, and it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.) And Sarah smiled within herself, saying, It hath never been so with me even to this time, and my lord is old. And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah smile within herself, saying, Shall I indeed bring forth? I who am old? Can anything be impossible with God? About this time twelve month I will return to thee, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah, denied, saying, I ddi not smile, for she was terrified. And he said to her, Nay, but thou didst smile.

Then the men arose and directed their course towards Sodom and Gomorra, and Abraham went with them to conduct them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from my servant Abraham, what I am going to do? Abraham shall indeed become a nation great and numerous; and by him all the nations of the earth are to be blessed. For I know that he will command his children and his household after him, who are to keep the ways of the Lord, to executge judgement and jsutice, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham all that he hath spoken to him.

Then the Lord said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorra hath been multiplied before me, and their sins are exceedingly great, therefore I am come down to see whether they do to each other according to the cry which is come to me; and if not, that I may know. Now the men had turned htence and were gone on to Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. And Abraham drew near and said, Thou wouldst not destroy righteous with a wicked man! Shall a righteous man be as the wicked? Should there be fifty righteous men in the ciyt, wilt thou destroy them? Wilth thou not spare the whole city for the sake of fifty righteous, if they be there? Thou canst not do such a thing as this to slay the righteous

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