Hebrews 6:13-20

Expanded Bible

¹³ [^LFor] God made a promise to Abraham. And as there is no one greater than God, he ·used himself [vowed by his own name; ^Lswore by himself] when he swore to Abraham, ¹⁴ saying, “I will ·surely [or greatly] bless you and ·give you many [greatly multiply your] descendants [Gen. 22:17].” ¹⁵ Abraham ·waited patiently for this to happen [persevered], and he received what God promised.

¹⁶ [^LFor] People always ·use the name of [^Lswear by] someone greater than themselves when they swear. The oath ·proves [is confirmation] that what they say is true, and this ·ends all arguing [or settles the dispute; ^Can oath by a higher authority is taken as a legal guarantee]. ¹⁷ God wanted to ·make very clear [demonstrate convincingly] to ·those who would get what he promised [^Lthe heirs of the promise] that his ·purposes [or plans] never change, so he ·made [^Lconfirmed/guaranteed it with] an oath. ¹⁸ These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things greatly encourage us, who ·came [^Lhave fled] to God for safety, to hold on to the hope ·we have been given [^Lset before us]. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for ·the soul [our lives], ·sure [stable; secure] and ·strong [reliable; unshifting]. It enters behind the curtain in the ·Most Holy Place in heaven [^Linner place/sanctuary], ²⁰ where Jesus has gone ·ahead of us [^Las a forerunner] ·and for us [on our behalf]. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek [Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6, 10; 7:1–17].