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260 This then was the mission of the other two "persons" who were with Yahweh—to verify the truth about, or extent of, the "sinning" of the two cities in the Jordan valley near what is now the Dead Sea, so that the Lord could determine their fate. "And the persons turned from there and went to Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before Yahweh," we read in Genesis 18:22; but when the arrival of the two "persons" at Sodom is reported next (Genesis 19:1), it be- comes clear who the two were: "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening." The three visitors who had ap- peared to Abraham were, thus, Yahweh and two of his emissaries. Before the Bible focuses on the angels' visit to Sodom and Gomorrah and the ensuing destruction of the "evil cities," the Bible reports a most unusual discourse between Abraham and Yahweh. Approaching the Lord, Abraham took on _ the role of an intercessor, a defense lawyer, for Sodom (where his nephew Lot and his family have been residing). "Perhaps there be fifty Righteous Ones inside the city," he said to Yahweh, "wilt thou destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty? Surely, far be it from thee, to slay the Righteous with the wicked?" Reminding Yahweh that he was "Judge of all the Earth," one who would always do justice, Abraham placed the Lord in a dilemma. So the Lord Yahweh answered that if there be fifty Righteous Ones in Sodom, he would spare the whole city. But no sooner had the Lord consented thus, than Abra- ham—asking forgiveness for his audacity in "taking leave to speak to my Lord"—posed another question: What if the number, fifty, shall fall short by five? "And He said, 1 will not destroy if I find there forty-five." Seizing the offensive, Abraham then bargained on, reducing the number of Righ- teous Ones on account of whom the whole city would be spared all the way down to ten. And with that, "Elohim went up from over Abraham," rising skyward from whence He had appeared earlier in the day. "And Abraham returned to his place." "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. And Lot, seeing them, rose up toward them and bowed himself with the face to the DIVINE ENCOUNTERS