¹⁶ and said, ^(A)“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring ^(B)as the stars of heaven and ^(C)as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess ^(D)the gate of his^[a] enemies, ¹⁸ and ^(E)in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, ^(F)because you have obeyed my voice.”

^5 (A)that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, ^(B)to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”

^12 (A)“And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you ^(B)the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers.

¹⁶ For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes ^(A)an oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to ^(B)the heirs of the promise ^(C)the unchangeable character of his purpose, ^(D)he guaranteed it with an oath,

The Certainty of God's Promise

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, ^(A)he swore by himself,

⁸ but ^(A)it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping ^(B)the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

^3 (A)Sojourn in this land, and ^(B)I will be with you and will bless you, for ^(C)to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish ^(D)the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.