Genesis 17:15-17, 19; 18:11-14; 21:1-8 (Vespers, 1st Reading)
(Read 0n 6/24 for the NATIVITY OF THE HOLY GLORIOUS PROPHET, FORERUNNER AND BAPTIST, JOHN)
God said to Abraham, “As for Sar’ai your wife, her name shall not be called Sar’ai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her, and give you a child by her; and I will bless him, and he shall become nations, and kings of nations shall come from him.”
And Abraham fell on his face and said to himself, “Shall there be born a son to one who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?” And God said to Abraham, “Yes. Behold, 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.”
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in days. Sarah laughed to herself saying, “this has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.” And the Lord God said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh to herself, saying, ‘Shall I then indeed bear? but I am old’? Shall anything be impossible that is spoken by God?”
And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said. And she conceived, and bore Abraham a son in old age as the Lord God had spoken to him. And Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day, as the Lord God had commanded him.
And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “The Lord God has made laughter for me; for every one who hears shall rejoice with me.” And she said, “Who shall say to Abraham that Sarah suckles a child? Yet I have borne him a child in my old age.” And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.