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.”

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?”

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”^[a]

⁸ But he said, “O Lord God, ^(A)how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

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

²² Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

² Then ^(A)the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, ^(B)“If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

The Sign of the Fleece

^36 (A)Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, ³⁷ behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” ³⁸ And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, ^(B)“Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” ⁴⁰ And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

²¹ But Moses said, ^(A)“The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ ^22 (B)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” ²³ And the Lord said to Moses, ^(C)“Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether ^(D)my word will come true for you or not.”

^12 (A)So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ^(B)“After I am worn out, and ^(C)my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”