¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,^(A) was enabled to bear children^(B) because she^[a] considered him faithful^(C) who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,^(D) came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.^(E)

⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars^(A)—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[a] be.”^(B)

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.^(C)

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai,^(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.^(B) But she had an Egyptian slave^(C) named Hagar;^{(D) 2} so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.^(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”^(F)

Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?”^(A) they asked him.

“There, in the tent,^(B)” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,^(C) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”^(D)

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old,^(E) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.^{(F) 12} So Sarah laughed^(G) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord^(H) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’^{(I) 14} Is anything too hard for the Lord?^(J) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,^(K) and Sarah will have a son.”^(L)

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

The Birth of Isaac

21 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah^(A) as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.^{(B) 2} Sarah became pregnant and bore a son^(C) to Abraham in his old age,^(D) at the very time God had promised him.^{(E) 3} Abraham gave the name Isaac^[a](F) to the son Sarah bore him. ⁴ When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,^(G) as God commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old^(H) when his son Isaac was born to him.

⁶ Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter,^(I) and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”^(J)

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”^(A)

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”