¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to ^(A)the heirs of the promise ^(B)the unchangeable character of his purpose, ^(C)he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which ^(D)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope ^(E)set before us.

²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ^(A)“I have lifted my hand^[a] to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,

⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(A)raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by ^(B)him who lives forever and ever, ^(C)who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,

²⁸ Say to them, ^(A)‘As I live, declares the Lord, ^(B)what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: ^29 (C)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and ^(D)of all your number, listed in the census ^(E)from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, ³⁰ not one shall come into the land where I ^(F)swore that I would make you dwell, ^(G)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

⁸ I will bring you into ^(A)the land that I ^(B)swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. ^(C)I am the Lord.’”