Grant us peace in our day.

While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham.

Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?

Suppose there were 50 innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the 50 innocent people within it?

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?"

The LORD replied, "If I find 50 innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes!

What if there are five less than 50 innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "if I find 45 there."

But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only 40 are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it for the sake of the 40."

Then he said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only 30 are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it if I can find but 30 there."

Still he went on, "Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than 20?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "for the sake of the 20."

But he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least 10 there?" "For the sake of those 10," he replied, "I will not destroy it."

The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.