¹ Depois apareceu o Senhor a Abraão junto aos carvalhos de Manre, estando ele sentado à porta da tenda, no maior calor do dia.

² Levantando Abraão os olhos, olhou e eis três homens de pé em frente dele. Quando os viu, correu da porta da tenda ao seu encontro, e prostrou-se em terra,

³ e disse: Meu Senhor, se agora tenho achado graça aos teus olhos, rogo-te que não passes de teu servo.

⁴ Eia, traga-se um pouco d'água, e lavai os pés e recostai-vos debaixo da árvore;

⁵ e trarei um bocado de pão; refazei as vossas forças, e depois passareis adiante; porquanto por isso chegastes ate o vosso servo. Responderam-lhe: Faze assim como disseste.

⁶ Abraão, pois, apressou-se em ir ter com Sara na tenda, e disse-lhe: Amassa depressa três medidas de flor de farinha e faze bolos.

⁷ Em seguida correu ao gado, apanhou um bezerro tenro e bom e deu-o ao criado, que se apressou em prepará-lo.

⁸ Então tomou queijo fresco, e leite, e o bezerro que mandara preparar, e pôs tudo diante deles, ficando em pé ao lado deles debaixo da árvore, enquanto comiam.

⁹ Perguntaram-lhe eles: Onde está Sara, tua mulher? Ele respondeu: Está ali na tenda.

¹⁰ E um deles lhe disse: certamente tornarei a ti no ano vindouro; e eis que Sara tua mulher terá um filho. E Sara estava escutando à porta da tenda, que estava atrás dele.

¹¹ Ora, Abraão e Sara eram já velhos, e avançados em idade; e a Sara havia cessado o incômodo das mulheres.

¹² Sara então riu-se consigo, dizendo: Terei ainda deleite depois de haver envelhecido, sendo também o meu senhor ja velho?

¹³ Perguntou o Senhor a Abraão: Por que se riu Sara, dizendo: É verdade que eu, que sou velha, darei à luz um filho?

¹⁴ Há, porventura, alguma coisa difícil ao Senhor? Ao tempo determinado, no ano vindouro, tornarei a ti, e Sara terá um filho.

¹⁵ Então Sara negou, dizendo: Não me ri; porquanto ela teve medo. Ao que ele respondeu: Não é assim; porque te riste.

¹⁶ E levantaram-se aqueles homens dali e olharam para a banda de Sodoma; e Abraão ia com eles, para os encaminhar.

¹⁷ E disse o Senhor: Ocultarei eu a Abraão o que faço,

¹⁸ visto que Abraão certamente virá a ser uma grande e poderosa nação, e por meio dele serão benditas todas as nações da terra?

¹⁹ Porque eu o tenho escolhido, a fim de que ele ordene a seus filhos e a sua casa depois dele, para que guardem o caminho do Senhor, para praticarem retidão e justiça; a fim de que o Senhor faça vir sobre Abraão o que a respeito dele tem falado.

²⁰ Disse mais o Senhor: Porquanto o clamor de Sodoma e Gomorra se tem multiplicado, e porquanto o seu pecado se tem agravado muito,

²¹ descerei agora, e verei se em tudo têm praticado segundo o seu clamor, que a mim tem chegado; e se não, sabê-lo-ei.

²² Então os homens, virando os seus rostos dali, foram-se em direção a Sodoma; mas Abraão ficou ainda em pé diante do Senhor.

²³ E chegando-se Abraão, disse: Destruirás também o justo com o ímpio?

²⁴ Se porventura houver cinqüenta justos na cidade, destruirás e não pouparás o lugar por causa dos cinqüenta justos que ali estão?

²⁵ Longe de ti que faças tal coisa, que mates o justo com o ímpio, de modo que o justo seja como o ímpio; esteja isto longe de ti. Não fará justiça o juiz de toda a terra?

²⁶ Então disse o Senhor: Se eu achar em Sodoma cinqüenta justos dentro da cidade, pouparei o lugar todo por causa deles.

²⁷ Tornou-lhe Abraão, dizendo: Eis que agora me atrevi a falar ao Senhor, ainda que sou pó e cinza.

²⁸ Se porventura de cinqüenta justos faltarem cinco, destruirás toda a cidade por causa dos cinco? Respondeu ele: Não a destruirei, se eu achar ali quarenta e cinco.

²⁹ Continuou Abraão ainda a falar-lhe, e disse: Se porventura se acharem ali quarenta? Mais uma vez assentiu: Por causa dos quarenta não o farei.

³⁰ Disse Abraão: Ora, não se ire o Senhor, se eu ainda falar. Se porventura se acharem ali trinta? De novo assentiu: Não o farei, se achar ali trinta.

³¹ Tornou Abraão: Eis que outra vez me a atrevi a falar ao Senhor. Se porventura se acharem ali vinte? Respondeu-lhe: Por causa dos vinte não a destruirei.

³² Disse ainda Abraão: Ora, não se ire o Senhor, pois só mais esta vez falarei. Se porventura se acharem ali dez? Ainda assentiu o Senhor: Por causa dos dez não a destruirei.

³³ E foi-se o Senhor, logo que acabou de falar com Abraão; e Abraão voltou para o seu lugar.

¹ They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

² It happened in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

³ The king of Israel said to his servants, "You know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we are still, and don't take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?"

⁴ He said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

⁵ Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of Yahweh."

⁶ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" They said, "Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."

⁷ But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may inquire of him?"

⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." Jehoshaphat said, "Don't let the king say so."

⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, "Quickly get Micaiah the son of Imlah."

¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹¹ Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus says Yahweh, 'With these you shall push the Syrians, until they are consumed.'"

¹² All the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and prosper; for Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king."

¹³ The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "See now, the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good."

¹⁴ Micaiah said, "As Yahweh lives, what Yahweh says to me, that I will speak."

¹⁵ When he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?" He answered him, "Go up and prosper; and Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king."

¹⁶ The king said to him, "How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?"

¹⁷ He said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. Yahweh said, 'These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.'"

¹⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

¹⁹ Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

²⁰ Yahweh said, 'Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One said one thing; and another said another.

²¹ A spirit came out and stood before Yahweh, and said, 'I will entice him.'

²² Yahweh said to him, 'How?' He said, 'I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' He said, 'You will entice him, and will also prevail. go out and do so.'

²³ Now therefore, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you."

²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh go from me to speak to you?"

²⁵ Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day, when you go into an inner room to hide yourself."

²⁶ The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son.

²⁷ Say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."'"

²⁸ Micaiah said, "If you return at all in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me." He said, "Listen, all you people!"

²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.

³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but you put on your robes." The king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.

³¹ Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.

³² It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely that is the king of Israel!" and they turned aside to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out.

³³ It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴ A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn your hand, and carry me out of the battle; for I am severely wounded."

³⁵ The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot.

³⁶ A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his country!"

³⁷ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.

³⁸ They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves; according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke.

³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

⁴¹ Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

⁴³ He walked in all the way of Asa his father; He didn't turn aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh: however the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

⁴⁴ Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

⁴⁶ The remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land.

⁴⁷ There was no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they didn't go; for the ships were broken at Ezion Geber.

⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not.

⁵⁰ Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.

⁵² He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin.

⁵³ He served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger Yahweh, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.