The angel said, “You were ready to kill your son for me. This was your only son. Because you did this for me, I make you this promise: I, the Lord, promise that
I will truly bless you. I will give you many, many descendants, [126] as many as the stars in the sky. There will be as many people as sand on the seashore. And your people will live in cities that they take from their enemies.
God said to me, ‘I will make you a great family. I will give you many children and you will be a great people. Your family will own this land forever.’
You made their descendants {\cf2\super [53]} \par as many as the stars in the sky.\par You brought them to the land\par you promised to give their ancestors. {\cf2\super [54]} \par They went in and took that land.\par
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob). Those men served you. And you used your name to make a promise to them. You said: ‘I will make your people as many as the stars in the sky. I will give your people all this land like I promised. This land will be theirs forever.’”
Can following the law give us the things God promised? No! If we could receive those things by following the law, then it is not God’s promise that brings us those things. But God freely gave \{his blessings\} to Abraham through the promise God made.
Look, I am giving you that land. Go and take it. I promised to give that land to your ancestors [2] —Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised to give that land to them and to their descendants. [3] ’”
Don’t do wrong to a person to pay him back for doing wrong to you. Or don’t say something bad to a person to pay him back for saying something bad to you. But \{ask God to\} bless that person. Do this, because you yourselves were called to receive a blessing.