Three Men Meet Abraham

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he was sitting by the door to his tent during the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up, and he saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground. ³ He said, “My lord,^[a] if I have now found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. ⁴ Now let me get a little water so that all of you can wash your feet and rest under the tree. ⁵ Let me get some bread so that you can refresh yourselves. After that you may go your way. That is why you have come to your servant.”

They said, “Yes, do as you have said.”

⁶ Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly prepare twenty quarts^[b] of fine flour, knead it, and make some loaves of bread.” ⁷ Abraham ran to the herd, brought a good, tender calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He took cheese curds, milk, and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them. He stood beside them under the tree while they ate.

⁹ They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?”

He said, “She is over there in the tent.”

¹⁰ One of the men said, “I will certainly return to you when this season comes around next year. Then Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Sarah was listening to this from the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well into old age. Sarah was past the age for childbearing.^{[c] 12} Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, will I have pleasure, since my lord is also old?”

¹³ The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really give birth to a child though I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the set time next year I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵ Then Sarah denied it and said, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid.

The Lord said, “Yes, you did laugh.”