¹⁵ God said to Abraham, ‘As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah^[a] will be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her.^(A) I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’

¹⁷ Abraham fell face down. Then he laughed^(B) and said to himself, ‘Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth? ’ ¹⁸ So Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael were acceptable^[b] to you! ’

¹⁹ But God said, ‘No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.^[c] I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders,^(C) and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.’^(D)

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, ‘Quick! Knead three measures^[a] of fine flour and make bread.’^{[b] 7} Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ Then Abraham took curds^[c] and milk, as well as the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served^[d] them as they ate under the tree.

Sarah Laughs

⁹ ‘Where is your wife Sarah? ’ they asked him.

‘There, in the tent,’ he answered.

¹⁰ The Lord said, ‘I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son! ’^(A) Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.

¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years.^[e] Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.^{(B) 12} So she laughed to herself: ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight? ’^(C)

¹³ But the Lord asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old? ’ ¹⁴ Is anything impossible for the Lord?^(D) At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.’

¹⁵ Sarah denied it. ‘I did not laugh,’ she said, because she was afraid.

But he replied, ‘No, you did laugh.’

¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she^[a] considered that the one who had promised was faithful.^(A)