²³ Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{(A) 24} What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^[a] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?^{(B) 25} Far be it from you to do such a thing^(C)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous^(D) and the wicked alike.^(E) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge^(F) of all the earth do right?”^(G)

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.^(H)”

²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,^{(I) 28} what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

³⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,^(J) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹ Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³² Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.^(K) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,^(L) I will not destroy it.”

¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God,^(A) and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again,

² When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed^(A) to the Lord^(B) and the fire died down.

⁶ Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede^(A) with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.

²² The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.

³³ He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed^(A) to the Lord.

¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,^(A) you alone^(B) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Give ear,^(C) Lord, and hear;^(D) open your eyes,^(E) Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

¹⁷ “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. ¹⁸ They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods^(F) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.^{(G) 19} Now, Lord our God, deliver^(H) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms^(I) of the earth may know^(J) that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall^(K)(L)

²⁰ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard^(M) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³ “Remember,^(A) Lord, how I have walked^(B) before you faithfully^(C) and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ⁵ “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard^(D) your prayer and seen your tears;^(E) I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord.

⁸ So now take seven bulls and seven rams^(A) and go to my servant Job^(B) and sacrifice a burnt offering^(C) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer^(D) and not deal with you according to your folly.^(E) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”^(F)