In the sameway God,desiringeven moreto showto the heirsof the promisethe unchangeablenessof His purpose,interposedwith an oath,
They said,"We seeplainlythat the LORDhas beenwith you; so we said,'Let there nowbe an oathbetweenus, [even] betweenyou and us, and let us makea covenantwith you,
The LORDhas swornand will not changeHis mind,"You are a priestforeverAccordingto the orderof Melchizedek."
The counselof the LORDstandsforever,The plansof His heartfrom generationto generation.
They drinktheir fillof the abundanceof Your house;And You givethem to drinkof the riverof Your delights.
an oathbefore the LORDshall be madeby the twoof them that he has not laidhandson his neighbor'sproperty;and its ownershall accept[it], and he shall not makerestitution.
Manyplansare in a man'sheart,But the counselof the LORDwill stand.
"I have comeinto my garden,my sister,[my] bride;I have gatheredmy myrrhalongwith my balsam.I have eatenmy honeycomband my honey;I have drunkmy wineand my milk.Eat,friends;Drinkand imbibedeeply,O lovers."
The LORDof hostshas swornsaying,"Surely,justas I have intendedsoit has happened,and justas I have plannedso it will stand,
Declaringthe endfrom the beginning,And from ancienttimesthings whichhave not been done,Saying,My purposewill be established,And I will accomplishallMy goodpleasure';
Sowill My wordbe whichgoesforthfrom My mouth;It will not returnto Me empty,WithoutaccomplishingwhatI desire,And without succeeding[in the matter] for whichI sentit.
Let the wickedforsakehis wayAnd the unrighteousmanhis thoughts;And let him returnto the LORD,And He will havecompassionon him, And to our God,For He will abundantlypardon.
"For I, the LORD,do not change;therefore you, O sonsof Jacob,are not consumed.
"The thiefcomesonlyto stealand killand destroy;I camethat they may havelife,and have[it] abundantly.
for the giftsand the callingof Godare irrevocable.
and ifchildren,heirsalso,heirsof Godand fellow heirswith Christ,if indeedwe sufferwith [Him] sothat we may alsobe glorifiedwith [Him].
And ifyou belong to Christ,thenyou are Abraham'sdescendants,heirsaccordingto promise.
alsowe have obtained an inheritance,having been predestinedaccordingto His purposewho worksall thingsafterthe counselof His will,
By faithNoah,being warned[by God] aboutthings not yetseen,in reverencepreparedan arkfor the salvationof his household,by whichhe condemnedthe world,and becamean heirof the righteousnesswhich is accordingto faith.
By faithhe lived as an alienin the landof promise,as in a foreign[land], dwellingin tentswith Isaacand Jacob,fellow heirsof the samepromise;
sothat you will not be sluggish,but imitatorsof thosewho throughfaithand patienceinheritthe promises.
For menswearby one greater[than themselves], and with them an oath[given] as confirmationis an endof everydispute.
sothat by twounchangeablethingsin whichit is impossiblefor Godto lie,we who have taken refugewould havestrongencouragementto take holdof the hopeset beforeus.
Everygoodthing givenand everyperfectgiftis from above,coming downfrom the Fatherof lights,with whomthereis novariationorshiftingshadow.
Listen,my belovedbrethren:did not Godchoosethe poorof thisworld[to be] richin faithand heirsof the kingdomwhichHe promisedto thosewho loveHim?
Blessedbe the Godand Fatherof our LordJesusChrist,who accordingto His greatmercyhas caused us to be born againto a livinghopethroughthe resurrectionof JesusChristfrom the dead,
You husbandsin the same way,livewith [your wives] in an understanding way,as with someoneweaker,since she is a woman;and showher honoras a fellow heirof the graceof life,sothat your prayerswill not be hindered.
