³² “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors,

¹³ Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.

⁶ Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise made to our ancestors.

²³ And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them.

¹⁶ God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.^[a] And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,^[b]” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

⁴ They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.^[a] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.

^38 [a]“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.

¹² Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of the Lord.

A Ruler from Bethlehem