Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?1 No, for I have chosen him2, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice3; so that the LORD may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." Then the LORD said, "How great is the outcry4 against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see5 whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know."
So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD6. Then Abraham came near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?7 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just8?"
And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake."
Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes9. 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."
Again he spoke to him, "Suppose forty are found there."
He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it."
Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there."
He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."
He said, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there."
He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it."
Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there."
He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it10." And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
[1] The promise of Abraham's blessing to the nations is again emphasized. The way it is used here, I am dubious that the alternative "shall bless themselves" interpretation is accurate.
[2] Since God has chosen Abraham for so much, he will begin to reveal some of his ways to Abraham.
[3] Righteousness and justice is the way of the Lord.
[4] Whose "outcry"? The poor and oppressed. Though not explicitly stated here, it is used clearly in that way elsewhere in Exodus 3:7 and Isaiah 5:7, and Ezekiel 16:49 makes it clear that the plight of the poor and needy is what did in Sodom and Gomorrah.
[5] Quite anthropomorphic.
[6] So the men are distinct from the Lord?
[7] Abraham is merciful and cares for the people. Perhaps he is only concerned with his cousin Lot, but the concern here appears more general.
[8] Appeals to God's nature, affirming that God is just.
[9] Approaches God with humility, but the very fact that he is approaching and confronting God shows great boldness.
[10] This appears to be a long negotiation, but it's not clear that God was ever negotiating - he may have just been answering Abraham's questions about his intentions. At no point does God say that he would destroy the righteous. In stating that he would not destroy even 10 righteous people, God confirms that he is just and compassionate.
Take-home: God chooses to open up his intentions to Abraham, that Abraham may learn the ways of righteousness and justice. In his questions Abraham not only finds that God is compassionate, but shows that he has compassion for the people as well. God listens to the outcry of the poor and needy and spares the righteous from destruction. However, the entire passage is overshadowed by the surrounding events - it is clear that God is ready to destroy the unrighteous, and it is not yet clear that even ten righteous exist in the city.
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