²³ But ^(A)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while ^(B)the son of the free woman was born through promise.

¹¹ By faith ^(A)Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered ^(B)him faithful who had promised.

⁷ and not all are children of Abraham ^(A)because they are his offspring, but ^(B)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but ^(C)the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

²⁸ Now you,^[a] brothers, ^(A)like Isaac, ^(B)are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh ^(C)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(D)so also it is now.

The Birth of Isaac

21 The Lord ^(A)visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah ^(B)as he had promised. ² And Sarah ^(C)conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age ^(D)at the time of which God had spoken to him.

¹⁰ The Lord said, “I will surely return to you ^(A)about this time next year, and ^(B)Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹ Now ^(C)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ^12 (D)So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ^(E)“After I am worn out, and ^(F)my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” ¹³ The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ ^14 (G)Is anything too hard^[a] for the Lord? ^(H)At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

⁸ But what does it say? ^(A)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

¹⁸ In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ^(A)“So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was ^(B)as good as dead (^(C)since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered ^(D)the barrenness^[a] of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that ^(E)God was able to do what he had promised.

Isaac's Birth Promised

¹⁵ And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah^[a] shall be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and moreover, I will ^(A)give^[b] you a son by her. I will bless her, and ^(B)she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham ^(C)fell on his face ^(D)and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” ¹⁹ God said, “No, but ^(E)Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name ^(F)Isaac.^[c] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.