¹⁵ And thus Abraham,^[a] having patiently endured, obtained the promise.

² I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.^{(A) 3} I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”^[a](B)

¹⁷ as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”), in the presence of the God in whom he believed,^[a] who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.^{(A) 18} Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already^[b] as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.^{(B) 20} No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.^{(C) 22} Therefore “it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” ²³ Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone^{(D) 24} but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe^[c] in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,^{(E) 25} who was handed over for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.^(F)

¹² so that you may not become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.^(A)

⁷ But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.^(A)

² But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”^{[a](A) 3} And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.”^{(B) 4} But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.”^{(C) 5} He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”^{(D) 6} And he believed the Lord, and the Lord^[b] reckoned it to him as righteousness.

² Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.^{(A) 3} Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.^{(B) 4} And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.^{(C) 5} Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.^{(D) 6} Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”^{(E) 7} And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

¹⁶ I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”^{(A) 17} Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”^(B)