Chapter 18
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.
天正热的时候，亚巴郎坐在帐幕门口，上主在玛默勒橡树林那里，给他显现出来。
2 Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground,
他举目一望，见有三人站在对面。他一见就由帐幕门口跑去迎接他们，俯伏在地，
3 1 he said: ＂Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant.
说：＂我主如果我蒙你垂爱，请你不要由你仆人这里走过去，
4 Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree.
我叫人拿点水来，洗洗你们的脚，然后在树下休息休息。
5 Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way.＂ ＂Very well,＂ they replied, ＂do as you have said.＂
你们既然路过你仆人这里，等我拿点饼来，吃点点心，然后再走。＂他们答说：＂就照你所说的做罢！＂
6 2 Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, ＂Quick, three seahs of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls.＂
亚巴郎赶快进入帐幕，到撒辣前说：＂你快拿三斗细面，和一和，作些饼。＂
7 He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
遂又跑到牛群中，选了一头又嫩又肥的牛犊，交给仆人，要他赶快煮好。
8 3 Then he got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared, and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.
亚巴郎遂拿了凝乳和牛奶，及预备好了的牛犊，摆在他们面前；他们吃的时候，自己在树下侍候。
9 ＂Where is your wife Sarah?＂ they asked him. ＂There in the tent,＂ he replied.
他们对他说：＂你的妻子撒辣在那里？＂他答说：＂在帐幕里。＂
10 4 One of them said, ＂I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.＂ Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him.
其中一位说：＂明年此时我必回到你这里，那时，你的妻子撒辣要有一个儿子。＂辣其时正在那人背后的帐幕门口窃听。
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods.
亚巴郎和撒辣都已年老，年纪很大，而且撒辣的月经早已停止。
12 5 So Sarah laughed to herself and said, ＂Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?＂
撒辣遂心里窃笑说：＂现在，我已衰老，同我年老的丈夫，还有这喜事吗？＂
13 But the LORD said to Abraham: ＂Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?'
上主对亚巴郎说：＂撒辣为什么笑？且说：像我这样老，真的还能生育？
14 Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.＂
为上主岂有难事？明年这时，我必要回到你这里，那时撒辣必有一个儿子。＂
15 Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, ＂I didn't laugh.＂ But he said, ＂Yes you did.＂
撒辣害怕了，否认说：＂我没有笑。＂但是那位说：＂不，你实在笑了。＂
16 The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom; Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
后来那三人由那里起身，望着索多玛前行；亚巴郎送他们，也一同前行。
17 The LORD reflected: ＂Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
上主说：＂我要作的事，岂能瞒着亚巴郎？
18 now that he is to become a great and populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
因为他要成为一强大而又兴盛的民族，地上所有的民族，都要因他蒙受降福；
19 Indeed, I have singled him out that he may direct his sons and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham the promises he made about him.＂
何况我拣选了他，是要他训令自己的子孙和未来的家族，保持上主的正道，实行公义正道，好使上主能实现他对亚巴郎所许的事。＂
20 6 Then the LORD said: ＂The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave,
上主于是说：＂控告索多玛和哈摩辣的声音实在很大，他们的罪恶实在深重！
21 that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.＂
我要下去看看，愿意知道：是否他们所行的全如达到我前的呼声一样。＂
22 While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
三人中有二人转身向索多玛走去；亚巴郎却仍立在上主面前。
23 Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: ＂Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
亚巴郎近前来说：＂你真要将义人同恶人一起消灭吗？
24 Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
假如城中有五十个义人，你还要消灭吗？不为其中的那五十个义人，赦免那地方吗？
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?＂
你决不能如此行事，将义人同恶人一并诛灭；将义人如恶人一样看待，你决不能！审判全地的主，岂能不行公义？＂
26 The LORD replied, ＂If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.＂
上主答说：＂假如我在索多玛城中找出了五十个义人，为了他们我要赦免整个地方。＂
27 Abraham spoke up again: ＂See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes!
亚巴郎接着说：＂我虽只是尘埃灰土，却敢再对我主说：
28 What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?＂ ＂I will not destroy it,＂ he answered, ＂if I find forty-five there.＂
假如五十个义人中少了五个怎样？你就为了少五个而毁灭全城吗？＂他答说：＂假如我在那里找到四十五个，我不毁灭。＂
29 But Abraham persisted, saying, ＂What if only forty are found there?＂ He replied, ＂I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty.＂
亚巴郎再向他进言说：＂假如在那里找到四十个怎样？＂他答说：＂为了这四十个我也不做这事。＂
30 Then he said, ＂Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?＂ He replied, ＂I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there.＂
亚巴郎说：＂求我主且勿动怒，容我再进一言：假如在那里找到三十个怎样？＂他答说：＂假如在那里我找到三十个，我也不做这事。＂
31 Still he went on, ＂Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?＂ ＂I will not destroy it,＂ he answered, ＂for the sake of the twenty.＂
亚巴郎说：＂我再放胆对我主进一言：假如在那里找到二十个怎样？＂他答说：＂为了这二十个，我也不毁灭。＂
32 But he still persisted: ＂Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?＂ ＂For the sake of those ten,＂ he replied, ＂I will not destroy it.＂
亚巴郎求：＂求我主且勿动怒，容我最后一次进言：假如在那里找到十个怎样？＂他答说：＂为了这十个我也不毁灭。＂
33 The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.
上主向亚巴郎说完话就走了；亚巴郎也回家去了。
Footnotes(注解)
1 [3] Abraham addresses the leader of the group, whom he does not yet recognize as Yahweh; in the next two verses he speaks to all three men. The other two are later (Genesis 19:1) identified as messengers.
2 [6] Three seahs: one ephah, about half a bushel.
3 [8] Curds: a type of soft cheese or yoghurt.
4 [10] One of them: i.e., the Lord. Abraham now realizes this for the first time when he hears the prediction of a miraculous birth. About this time next year: literally ＂when the time becomes alive,＂ i.e., at the time when birth is due after the period of gestation; the conception is understood as taking place soon after the prediction.
5 [12] Sarah laughed: see note on Genesis 17:17.
6 [20] Israelite tradition was unanimous in ascribing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the wickedness of these cities, but tradition varied in regard to the nature of this wickedness. According to the present account of the Yahwist, the sin of Sodom was homosexuality (Genesis 19:4-5), which is therefore also known as sodomy; but according to Isaiah (Isaiah 1:9-10; 3:9), it was a lack of social justice; Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:46-51) described it as a disregard for the poor, whereas Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:14) saw it as general immorality.