Genesis of law 4

THE GENESIS OF JUSTICE by Alan Dershowitz Genesis of Justice

Abraham Defends the Guilty and Loses

Contemporary English Version translation

Notes at the bottom of the page...

Genesis 18

¹⁷The LORD said to himself, "I should tell Abraham what I am going to do,   ¹⁸since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth. ¹⁹I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. Then I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised."
²⁰The LORD said, "Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things.   ²¹Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I want to know about it."
²²The men turned and started toward Sodom. But the LORD stayed with Abraham,   ²³who asked, "LORD, when you destroy the evil people, are you also going to destroy those who are good?   ²⁴Wouldn't you spare the city if there are only fifty good people in it?   ²⁵You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right."
²⁶The LORD replied, "If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed."
²⁷Abraham answered, "I am nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, LORD, for daring to speak to you like this.   ²⁸But suppose there are only forty-five good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?"
"If I find forty-five good people," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."
²⁹"Suppose there are just forty good people?" Abraham asked.
"Even for them," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."
³⁰Abraham said, "Please don't be angry, LORD, if I ask you what you will do if there are only thirty good people in the city."
"If I find thirty," the LORD replied, "I still won't destroy it."
³¹Then Abraham said, "I don't have any right to ask you, LORD, but what would you do if you find only twenty?"
"Because of them, I won't destroy the city," was the LORD'S answer.
³²Finally, Abraham said, "Please don't get angry, LORD, if I speak just once more. Suppose you find only ten good people there."
"For the sake of ten good people," the LORD told him, "I still won't destroy the city."
³³After speaking with Abraham, the LORD left, and Abraham went back home.

18.18 that will be...on earth: Or "and all other nations on earth will ask me to bless them as I have blessed his family."

The Genesis of Justice