Then God said,“ Yes, I will bless Ishmael. But your wife Sarah will have a son by you. And you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him. That covenant will last forever. It will be for Isaac and his family after him.

神说：“不然，你妻子撒拉要给你生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫以撒。我要与他坚定所立的约，作他后裔永远的约。

上帝说：“不！你妻子撒拉必为你生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫以撒。我要与他坚立我的约，成为他后裔永远的约。

神说：“不！你妻子撒拉必为你生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫以撒。我要与他坚立我的约，成为他后裔永远的约。

上帝说：“不，你妻子撒拉必为你生一个儿子，你要给他取名叫以撒，我必向他和他的后代坚守我的约，直到永远。

神说：“你的妻子撒拉，真的要为你生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫以撒，我要与他坚立我的约，作他后裔的永约。

神说：“不，你的妻子撒拉将为你生一个儿子，你要给他起名为以撒。我要与他确立我的约，作为他后裔永远的约。

神說：「不然，你妻子撒拉要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅定所立的約，作他後裔永遠的約。

上帝說：「不！你妻子撒拉必為你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅立我的約，成為他後裔永遠的約。

神說：「不！你妻子撒拉必為你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅立我的約，成為他後裔永遠的約。

上帝說：「不，你妻子撒拉必為你生一個兒子，你要給他取名叫以撒，我必向他和他的後代堅守我的約，直到永遠。

神說：“你的妻子撒拉，真的要為你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒，我要與他堅立我的約，作他後裔的永約。

上帝說：『不，是你妻子撒拉必給你生個兒子；你要給他起名叫以撒；我要同他堅立我的約，做他以後的苗裔永遠的約。

神說：「不，你的妻子撒拉將為你生一個兒子，你要給他起名為以撒。我要與他確立我的約，作為他後裔永遠的約。

上帝曰、否、爾妻撒拉必生子、可名以撒、我將與彼立約、為其後裔之永約、

上帝曰、爾妻撒拉、果必生子、命名以撒、我將與以撒、及其後裔、立永約。

天主曰、爾妻撒拉果必生子、可命名以撒、我將與彼及其後裔立我約、以為永約、

Then God said,“ Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

God said,“ No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

But God replied,“ No— Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant.

But God said,“ No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring.

But God said,“ No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Then God said:“ No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

But God said,“ No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring.

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,[ and] with his seed after him.

God said,“ No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him.

God said,“ No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel.Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says,“ Your family line will continue through Isaac.”( Genesis 21:12)In other words, God’s children are not just in the family line of Abraham. Instead, they are the children God promised to him. They are the ones considered to be Abraham’s children.God promised,“ I will return at the appointed time. Sarah will have a son.”( Genesis 18:10, 14)

But the angel said to him,“ Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must call him John.He will be a joy and delight to you. His birth will make many people very glad.He will be important in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or other such drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.And he will prepare the way for the Lord. He will have the same spirit and power that Elijah had. He will bring peace between parents and their children. He will teach people who don’t obey to be wise and do what is right. In this way, he will prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.”Zechariah asked the angel,“ How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is old too.”The angel said to him,“ I am Gabriel. I serve God. I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.And now you will have to be silent. You will not be able to speak until after John is born. That’s because you did not believe my words. They will come true at the time God has chosen.”

Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. The child was born at the exact time God had promised.Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him.

Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God’s promise just as Isaac was.At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the other son. The other son was born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now.But what does Scripture say?“ Get rid of the slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. He’ll never share it with the free woman’s son.”( Genesis 21:10)Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman’s children. We are the free woman’s children.

Sarah said,“ God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

“ You will hold a son in your arms,” Elisha said.“ It will be about this time next year.”“ No, my master!” she objected.“ You are a man of God. So please don’t lie to me!”But the woman became pregnant. She had a baby boy. It happened the next year about that same time. That’s exactly what Elisha had told her would happen.

Then one of them said,“ I will surely return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.Abraham and Sarah were already very old. Sarah was too old to have a baby.So she laughed to herself. She thought,“ I’m worn out, and my husband is old. Can I really know the joy of having a baby?”Then the Lord said to Abraham,“ Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say,‘ Will I really have a baby, now that I am old?’Is anything too hard for me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year. Sarah will have a son.”

Stay there for a while. I will be with you and give you my blessing. I will give all these lands to you and your children after you. And I will keep my word that I gave to your father Abraham.

But I will establish my covenant with Isaac. By this time next year, Sarah will have a son by you.”