15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but [a]Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her (A)and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother (B)of nations; (C)kings of peoples shall be from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face (D)and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? 18 And Abraham (E)said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19 Then God said: “No, (F)Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My (G)covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and (H)will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget (I)twelve princes, (J)and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My (K)covenant I will establish with Isaac, (L)whom Sarah shall bear to you at this (M)set time next year.” 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and (N)all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

The Son of Promise(O)

18 Then the Lord appeared to him by [b]the (P)terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. (Q)So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; (R)and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let (S)a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And (T)I will bring a morsel of bread, that (U)you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, (V)inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”

They said, “Do as you have said.”

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So (W)he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”

So he said, “Here, (X)in the tent.”

10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you (Y)according to the time of life, and behold, (Z)Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now (AA)Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and [c]Sarah (AB)had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah (AC)laughed within herself, saying, (AD)“After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my (AE)lord being old also?”

13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 (AF)Is anything too hard for the Lord? (AG)At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.

And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 17:15 Lit. Princess
  2. Genesis 18:1 Heb. Alon Mamre
  3. Genesis 18:11 Lit. the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah

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