¹ And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

² and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him: and 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 thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

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

⁵ and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are 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.

⁷ And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; 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 when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, [and] well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

¹² And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

¹³ And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, 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.

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 Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do;

¹⁸ seeing that Abraham had surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall 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 Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

²⁰ And Jehovah 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 from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah.

²³ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked?

²⁴ Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume 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, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

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

²⁷ And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who 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, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.

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 the forty's sake.

³⁰ And he said, 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 the 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 the ten's sake.

³³ And Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

¹ Moreover Elihu answered and said,

² Hear my words, ye wise men; And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.

³ For the ear trieth words, As the palate tasteth food.

⁴ Let us choose for us that which is right: Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵ For Job hath said, I am righteous, And God hath taken away my right:

⁶ Notwithstanding my right I am [accounted] a liar; My wound is incurable, [though I am] without transgression.

⁷ What man is like Job, Who drinketh up scoffing like water,

⁸ Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, And walketh with wicked men?

⁹ For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing That he should delight himself with God.

¹⁰ Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

¹¹ For the work of a man will he render unto him, And cause every man to find according to his ways.

¹² Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly, Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.

¹³ Who gave him a charge over the earth? Or who hath disposed the whole world?

¹⁴ If he set his heart upon himself, [If] he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;

¹⁵ All flesh shall perish together, And man shall turn again unto dust.

¹⁶ If now [thou hast] understanding, hear this: Hearken to the voice of my words.

¹⁷ Shall even one that hateth justice govern? And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous [and] mighty?-

¹⁸ [Him] that saith to a king, [Thou art] vile, [Or] to nobles, [Ye are] wicked;

¹⁹ That respecteth not the persons of princes, Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; For they all are the work of his hands.

²⁰ In a moment they die, even at midnight; The people are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without hand.

²¹ For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, And he seeth all his goings.

²² There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

²³ For he needeth not further to consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment.

²⁴ He breaketh in pieces mighty men [in ways] past finding out, And setteth others in their stead.

²⁵ Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works; And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.

²⁶ He striketh them as wicked men In the open sight of others;

²⁷ Because they turned aside from following him, And would not have regard in any of his ways:

²⁸ So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him, And he heard the cry of the afflicted.

²⁹ When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn? And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? Alike whether [it be done] unto a nation, or unto a man:

³⁰ That the godless man reign not, That there be none to ensnare the people.

³¹ For hath any said unto God, I have borne [chastisement], I will not offend [any more]:

³² That which I see not teach thou me: If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?

³³ Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it? For thou must choose, and not I: Therefore speak what thou knowest.

³⁴ Men of understanding will say unto me, Yea, every wise man that heareth me:

³⁵ Job speaketh without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.

³⁶ Would that Job were tried unto the end, Because of his answering like wicked men.

³⁷ For he addeth rebellion unto his sin; He clappeth his hands among us, And multiplieth his words against God.