²⁵ And you are heirs^(A) of the prophets and of the covenant^(B) God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’^{[a](C) 26} When God raised up^(D) his servant, he sent him first^(E) to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

²⁶ “Fellow children of Abraham^(A) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation^(B) has been sent.

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!^(A) I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham,^(B) from the tribe of Benjamin.^{(C) 2} God did not reject his people,^(D) whom he foreknew.^(E) Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:

²² Are they Hebrews? So am I.^(A) Are they Israelites? So am I.^(B) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.^(C)

The Certainty of God’s Promise

¹³ When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,^{(A) 14} saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^{[a](B) 15} And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.^(C)

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.^{(D) 17} Because God wanted to make the unchanging^(E) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,^(F) he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,^(G) we who have fled to take hold of the hope^(H) set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,^{(I) 20} where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.^(J) He has become a high priest^(K) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.^(L)