Abraham’s Three Visitors

18 Later, the Lord appeared to Abraham^[a] by the oaks^[b] belonging to Mamre. As Abraham^[c] was sitting near the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day, ² he glanced up and saw three men standing there, not far from him. As soon as he noticed them, Abraham^[d] ran from the tent entrance to greet them and bowed low to the ground. ³ “My lords,” he told them, “if I have found favor with you,^[e] please don’t leave your servant. ⁴ I’ll have some water brought to wash your feet while you rest under the tree. ⁵ I’ll bring some food for you,^[f] and after that you may continue your journey, since you have come to visit your servant.”

So they replied, “Very well! Do what you’ve proposed.”

⁶ Abraham hurried into the tent and told Sarah, “Quick! Take three measures^[g] of the best flour, knead it, and make some flat bread.”

⁷ Next, Abraham ran to the herd, found a choice and tender calf, and gave it to the young men, who went off in a hurry to prepare it. ⁸ Then he took curds, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, placed the food in front of them, and stood near them under the tree while they ate.

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

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

“There, in the tent,” he replied.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will certainly return to you in about a year’s time.^[h] By then, your wife Sarah will have borne a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were old—really old^[i]—and Sarah was beyond the age of childbearing.^{[j] 12} That’s why Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, “After I’m so old and my husband is old, too, am I going to have sex?”^[k]

¹³ The Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and think, ‘Am I really going to bear a child, since I’m so old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything impossible^[l] for the Lord? At the time set for it, I will return to you—about a year from now—and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵ But Sarah denied it. “I didn’t laugh,” she claimed, because she was afraid.

The Lord^[m] replied, “No! You did laugh!”