¹¹ Now ^(A)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.

¹⁷ Then Abraham ^(A)fell on his face ^(B)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?”

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. ¹² Therefore from one man, and ^(C)him as good as dead, were born descendants ^(D)as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

^19 (A)He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

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.

³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her ^(A)who was called barren.

¹⁸ And Zechariah said to the angel, ^(A)“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

⁷ But they had no child, because ^(A)Elizabeth was barren, and ^(B)both were advanced in years.

¹⁹ “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.

³⁵ And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot ^(A)rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods.