³³ He who has received His testimony ^(A)has certified that God is true.

¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard ^(A)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, ^(B)you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to ^(A)the heirs of promise ^(B)the ^[a]immutability of His counsel, ^[b]confirmed it by an oath,

Greeting

1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and ^(A)the acknowledgment of the truth ^(B)which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life which God, who ^(C)cannot lie, promised before time began,

²² who ^(A)also has sealed us and ^(B)given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

¹⁸ But as God is ^(A)faithful, our ^[a]word to you was not Yes and No.

¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ^(A)“So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, ^(B)he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), ^(C)and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised ^(D)He was also able to perform.

³ For what if ^(A)some did not believe? ^(B)Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? ^4 (C)Certainly not! Indeed, let ^(D)God be ^[a]true but ^(E)every man a liar. As it is written:

³ saying, ^(A)“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God ^(B)on their foreheads.” ^4 (C)And I heard the number of those who were sealed. ^(D)One hundred and forty-four thousand ^(E)of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: