¹ Ja Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Mine, lahku siit, sina ja rahvas, kelle sa tõid Egiptusemaalt välja, maale, mille ma vandega olen tõotanud Aabrahamile, Iisakile ja Jaakobile, öeldes: Sinu soole ma annan selle!

² Ma läkitan sinu eel ingli ja ajan ära kaananlased, emorlased, hetid, perislased, hiivlased ja jebuuslased,

³ et sa jõuaksid maale, mis piima ja mett voolab, sest mina ise ei lähe koos sinuga, et sind mitte hävitada teel, kuna sa oled kangekaelne rahvas.'

⁴ Kui rahvas kuulis seda kurja kõnet, siis nad leinasid ja ükski ei pannud enesele ehteid ümber.

⁵ Ja Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Ütle Iisraeli lastele: Te olete kangekaelne rahvas. Kui ma läheksin ühe silmapilgugi koos sinuga, peaksin sinu hävitama. Võta nüüd ära oma ehted, siis ma mõtlen, mis ma sinuga teen!'

⁶ Ja Iisraeli lapsed rebisidki endilt ehted Hoorebi mäe juurest lahkumisel.

⁷ Mooses aga võttis telgi ja püstitas selle väljapoole leeri, leerist kaugemale, ja nimetas selle kogudusetelgiks; ja igaüks, kes otsis Issandat, läks kogudusetelgi juurde, mis oli väljaspool leeri.

⁸ Iga kord, kui Mooses läks välja telgi juurde, tõusis kogu rahvas püsti ja igamees seisis oma telgi uksel ning vaatas Moosesele järele, kuni ta oli läinud telki.

⁹ Ja iga kord, kui Mooses oli läinud telki, laskus pilvesammas alla ning seisis telgi ukse kohal; ja ta kõneles Moosesega.

¹⁰ Ja kui kogu rahvas nägi pilvesammast seisvat telgi ukse kohal, siis kogu rahvas tõusis üles ja nad kummardasid igaüks oma telgi uksel.

¹¹ Ja Issand kõneles Moosesega palgest palgesse, nagu räägiks mees oma sõbraga. Siis Mooses tuli tagasi leeri, aga tema teener Joosua, Nuuni poeg, noor mees, ei lahkunud telgist.

¹² Ja Mooses ütles Issandale: 'Vaata, sa ütled mulle: Vii see rahvas sinna! Aga sa ei ole mulle teada andnud, keda sa koos minuga läkitad. Ometi oled sa ise öelnud: Ma tunnen sind nimepidi ja sa oled ka armu leidnud minu silmis.

¹³ Aga kui ma nüüd olen armu leidnud sinu silmis, siis õpeta mulle oma teed, et ma tunneksin sind ja leiaksin armu su silmis, sest vaata, see rahvas on sinu rahvas.'

¹⁴ Ta vastas: 'Minu pale läheb kaasa ja ma annan sulle rahu.'

¹⁵ Siis Mooses ütles temale: 'Kui su pale ei tule kaasa, siis ära vii meid siit ära!

¹⁶ Sest millest muidu tuntakse, et oleme armu leidnud sinu silmis, mina ja su rahvas, kui sellest, et sina käid koos meiega, nõnda et meie, mina ja su rahvas, erineme kogu rahvast, kes maa peal on?'

¹⁷ Ja Issand vastas Moosesele: 'Mina teengi nõnda, nagu oled soovinud, sest sa oled armu leidnud minu silmis ja ma tunnen sind nimepidi.'

¹⁸ Aga Mooses ütles: 'Näita siis mulle oma auhiilgust!'

¹⁹ Ja tema vastas: 'Ma lasen sinu eest mööduda kogu oma ilu ja kuulutan sinu ees Issanda nime. Ja ma olen armuline, kellele olen armuline, ja halastan, kelle peale halastan.'

²⁰ Ja ta ütles veel: 'Sa ei tohi näha mu palet, sest ükski inimene ei või mind näha ja jääda elama!'

²¹ Siis ütles Issand: 'Vaata, siin mu juures on üks paik; astu selle kalju peale!

²² Kui mu auhiilgus möödub, siis ma panen sind kaljulõhesse ja katan sind oma käega, kuni ma olen möödunud.

²³ Kui ma siis oma käe ära võtan, näed sa mind selja tagant, aga mu palet ei tohi keegi näha!'

¹⁷ Ja ma olen öelnud: Mina viin teid välja Egiptuse viletsusest kaananlaste, hettide, emorlaste, perislaste, hiivlaste ja jebuuslaste maale, maale, mis piima ja mett voolab.

¹ Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

² He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,

³ and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don't go away from your servant.

⁴ Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

⁵ I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

⁶ Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes."

⁷ Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.

⁸ He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

⁹ They asked him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?" He said, "See, in the tent."

¹⁰ He said, "I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

¹² Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

¹³ Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?'

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son."

¹⁵ Then Sarah denied, saying, "I didn't laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

¹⁶ The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.

¹⁷ Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do,

¹⁸ since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

¹⁹ For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

²⁰ Yahweh 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 their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."

²² The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.

²³ Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?

²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?

²⁵ Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?"

²⁶ Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."

²⁷ Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.

²⁸ What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

²⁹ He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."

³⁰ He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."

³¹ He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."

³² He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."

³³ Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.