1 And Shema appeared to him by Elone Mamre, as he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 And he looked up and looked, and, look, three men stood in front of him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed down to the earth, 3 and said: “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Now let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and lie down under the tree. 5 And I will bring a small piece of bread, and strengthen your heart. And after that you shall pass on, since you have come to your servant.” And they said: “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said: “Quickly knead three measures of fine flour, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, and brought a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate. 9 And they said to him: “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said: “Look, she is in the tent.” 10 And he said: “I will surely return to you according to the time of life, and, look, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, and she was behind him.⁠a 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age. Sarah no longer had her monthly periods. 12 And Sarah wondered within herself, saying: “After I have withered, shall I have pleasure, when my lord is old?”

13 And Shema said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah wonder, saying: ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for Shema? At the set time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 Then Sarah denied, saying: “I did not wonder,” for she was afraid. And he said to her: “But you did wonder.” 16 And the men got up from there, and looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to see them on their way. 17 And Shema said: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known so that Abraham may command his children and his household after him, so that they may keep the way of Shema, to do righteousness and justice, so that Shema may bring on Abraham what he has spoken of him.”

20 And Shema said: “[Because] the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very serious, 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have acted entirely as the outcry that has come to me says. And if not, I will know.” 22 And the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before Shema. 23 And Abraham came closer, and said: “Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous in the city; will you destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are there? 25 You should never do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. You should never do this. Look! The Judge of all the earth shall not do what is right!”

26 And Shema said: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 And Abraham answered and said: “Look now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am only dust and ashes. 28 Perhaps there are five fewer than fifty righteous people. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said: “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.” 29 And he yet again spoke to him, and said to him: “Perhaps there are forty there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it for the sake of forty.” 30 And he said: “Please do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Perhaps there are thirty there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it, if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said: “Look now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Perhaps there are twenty there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” 32 And he said: “Please do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just this once more. Perhaps there are ten there.” And he said: “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 And Shema left, as soon as he had finished talking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.