¹⁶ and said, “I swear by myself,^(A) declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,^(B)

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)

¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise^(A) that he would be heir of the world,^(B) but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^{(C) 14} For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,^(D)

¹³ I swear^(A) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah^(B) will become a ruin and a curse,^[a] an object of horror^(C) and reproach;^(D) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”^(E)