But Abraham had no children, and Sarah, his wife, did not believe that God would give her a son. So she got Abraham to marry her Egyptian maid, Hagar. But the Lord said that His promise was not to be fulfilled through Ishmael, the son of this woman, but through a son whom He would give Sarah. So after Isaac was born, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away; for the Lord had said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." [Illustration: The Flight from Sodom.] [Illustration] The Destruction of Sodom. ABRAHAM returned from Egypt "very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." Lot was still with him, and their flocks and herds became so great that they could not find pasture for them all together. So Abraham said to Lot, "Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." Abraham was the elder, and the choice should have been his. But he was not selfish, and so gave the choice to the younger man, his nephew. Lot selfishly chose the plain of Jordan. This was the most beautiful and productive portion of all the land of Canaan. And he "pitched his tent toward Sodom." But Lot did not stop to consider that Sodom and the other cities of the plain were very wicked. He thought only of his own interests, and was soon living in the city of Sodom itself. His daughters married wicked men of Sodom, and so forgot God. Lot could now see the evil of choosing his home among wicked people. At last Sodom and some of the other cities near it became so wicked that God would not suffer them to remain. He must destroy them from off the earth. But first the Lord would tell Abraham what He was about to do. One day when it was very warm, Abraham sat in the door of his tent. Soon he saw three strangers coming toward him. He ran to them and asked them to come and sit under a tree and rest while he prepared some food for them to eat. After they had eaten, two of the men went toward Sodom, but the third, who was the Lord, or Christ, remained to tell Abraham that He was about to destroy Sodom. Then Abraham began to plead for Sodom. He made many requests of the Lord, and finally gained the promise that if ten righteous people could be found in Sodom the city would be saved. In his child-like faith Abraham felt safe when this promise was made. In the household of Lot alone he thought there must be at least ten who were true to God. But the evil surroundings of Sodom had corrupted even the family of Lot. [Illustration: "And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes, and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground." Genesis 18:1, 2. The Three Angels.]