7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 sAnd God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
17 The Lord said, m“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a ngreat and mighty nation, and oall the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have pchosen1 him, that he may command his children and his household after him to qkeep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “Because the routcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and stheir sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether2 according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
22 So tthe men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still ustood before vthe Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, w“Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 xFar be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! yShall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am zbut adust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. 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 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, b“Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose cten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
