¹⁶ and said, ^(A)“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring ^(B)as the stars of heaven and ^(C)as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess ^(D)the gate of his^[a] enemies, ¹⁸ and ^(E)in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, ^(F)because you have obeyed my voice.”

The Certainty of God's Promise

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, ^(A)he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, ^(B)“Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” ¹⁵ And thus Abraham,^{[a] (C)}having patiently waited, obtained the promise.

⁶ But as it is, Christ^[a] has obtained a ministry that is ^(A)as much more excellent than the old as ^(B)the covenant ^(C)he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

For God So Loved the World

¹⁶ “For ^(A)God so loved ^(B)the world,^{[a] (C)}that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not ^(D)perish but have eternal life.