Fear the Lord

¹² And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you^(A) but to fear^(B) the Lord your God, to walk^(C) in obedience to him, to love him,^(D) to serve the Lord^(E) your God with all your heart^(F) and with all your soul,^{(G) 13} and to observe the Lord’s commands^(H) and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?^(I)

¹⁴ To the Lord your God belong the heavens,^(J) even the highest heavens,^(K) the earth and everything in it.^{(L) 15} Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved^(M) them, and he chose you,^(N) their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.^{(O) 16} Circumcise^(P) your hearts,^(Q) therefore, and do not be stiff-necked^(R) any longer. ¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods^(S) and Lord of lords,^(T) the great God, mighty and awesome,^(U) who shows no partiality^(V) and accepts no bribes.^{(W) 18} He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,^(X) and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.^{(Y) 19} And you are to love^(Z) those who are foreigners,^(AA) for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.^{(AB) 20} Fear the Lord your God and serve him.^(AC) Hold fast^(AD) to him and take your oaths in his name.^{(AE) 21} He is the one you praise;^(AF) he is your God, who performed for you those great^(AG) and awesome wonders^(AH) you saw with your own eyes. ²² Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all,^(AI) and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.^(AJ)

⁴ You, dear children,^(A) are from God and have overcome them,^(B) because the one who is in you^(C) is greater than the one who is in the world.^{(D) 5} They are from the world^(E) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^(F) This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth^(G) and the spirit of falsehood.^(H)

God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another,^(I) for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God^(J) and knows God.^{(K) 8} Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.^{(L) 9} This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^(M) into the world that we might live through him.^{(N) 10} This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us^(O) and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.^{(P) 11} Dear friends,^(Q) since God so loved us,^(R) we also ought to love one another.^(S)