God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, ^(A)He swore by Himself,

¹⁵ Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶ and said: ^(A)“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— ¹⁷ blessing I will ^(B)bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants ^(C)as the stars of the heaven ^(D)and as the sand which is on the seashore; and ^(E)your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. ^18 (F)In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ^(G)because you have obeyed My voice.”

¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and ^(A)an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to ^(B)the heirs of promise ^(C)the ^[a]immutability of His counsel, ^[b]confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two ^[c]immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to ^(D)lie, we ^[d]might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope ^(E)set before us.

¹³ For ^(A)I have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that ^(B)Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a ^[a]waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual ^[b]wastes.”

⁵ But if you will not ^[a]hear these words, ^(A)I swear by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house shall become a desolation.” ’ ”