Jesus Warns of Offenses^(A)

17 Then He said to the disciples, ^(B)“It is impossible that no ^[a]offenses should come, but ^(C)woe to him through whom they do come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should ^[b]offend one of these little ones. ³ Take heed to yourselves. ^(D)If your brother sins ^[c]against you, ^(E)rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns ^[d]to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Faith and Duty^(F)

⁵ And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

^6 (G)So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ⁷ And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? ⁸ But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself ^(H)and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded ^[e]him? I think not. ¹⁰ So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are ^(I)unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”

Ten Lepers Cleansed

¹¹ Now it happened ^(J)as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. ¹² Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, ^(K)who stood afar off. ¹³ And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴ So when He saw them, He said to them, ^(L)“Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice ^(M)glorified God, ¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a ^(N)Samaritan.

¹⁷ So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? ¹⁸ Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ^19 (O)And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

The Coming of the Kingdom^(P)

²⁰ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ^21 (Q)nor will they say, ^[f]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, ^(R)the kingdom of God is ^[g]within you.”

²² Then He said to the disciples, ^(S)“The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^23 (T)And they will say to you, ^[h]‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. ^24 (U)For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. ^25 (V)But first He must suffer many things and be ^(W)rejected by this generation. ^26 (X)And as it ^(Y)was in the ^(Z)days of ^(AA)Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the ^(AB)day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and ^(AC)destroyed them all. ^28 (AD)Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; ²⁹ but on ^(AE)the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man ^(AF)is revealed.

³¹ “In that day, he ^(AG)who is on the housetop, and his ^[i]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. ^32 (AH)Remember Lot’s wife. ^33 (AI)Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ^34 (AJ)I tell you, in that night there will be two ^[j]men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. ^35 (AK)Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. ^36 [k]Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ And they answered and said to Him, ^(AL)“Where, Lord?”

So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men ^(AM)always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor ^[l]regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ^[m]‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ^5 (AN)yet because this widow troubles me I will ^[n]avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And ^(AO)shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you ^(AP)that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ Also He spoke this parable to some ^(AQ)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee ^(AR)stood and prayed thus with himself, ^(AS)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; ^(AT)for everyone who exalts himself will be ^[o]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(AU)

^15 (AV)Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(AW)of such is the kingdom of God. ^17 (AX)Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(AY)

^18 (AZ)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but ^(BA)One, that is, God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ^(BB)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ^(BC)‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²¹ And he said, “All ^(BD)these things I have kept from my youth.”

²² So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. ^(BE)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

²³ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible^(BF)

²⁴ And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ^(BG)“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But He said, ^(BH)“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

^28 (BI)Then Peter said, “See, we have left ^[p]all and followed You.”

²⁹ So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(BJ)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ^30 (BK)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(BL)

^31 (BM)Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things ^(BN)that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be ^[q]accomplished. ³² For ^(BO)He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. ³³ They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

^34 (BP)But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

A Blind Man Receives His Sight^(BQ)

^35 (BR)Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. ³⁶ And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. ³⁷ So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, ^(BS)Son of David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹ Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, ⁴¹ saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

⁴² Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; ^(BT)your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, ^(BU)glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House

19 Then Jesus entered and passed through ^(BV)Jericho. ² Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³ And he sought to ^(BW)see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up ^[r]and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, ^[s]make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ So he ^[t]made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. ⁷ But when they saw it, they all ^[u]complained, saying, ^(BX)“He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

⁸ Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the ^(BY)poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by ^(BZ)false accusation, ^(CA)I restore fourfold.”

⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because ^(CB)he also is ^(CC)a son of Abraham; ^10 (CD)for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The Parable of the Minas^(CE)

¹¹ Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because ^(CF)they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. ^12 (CG)Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. ¹³ So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten ^[v]minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ ^14 (CH)But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. ¹⁶ Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ^(CI)‘Well done, good servant; because you were ^(CJ)faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ ¹⁹ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

²⁰ “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. ^21 (CK)For I feared you, because you are ^[w]an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ ²² And he said to him, ^(CL)‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. ^(CM)You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. ²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ ²⁵ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ²⁶ ‘For I say to you, ^(CN)that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷ But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ”

The Triumphal Entry^(CO)

²⁸ When He had said this, ^(CP)He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ^29 (CQ)And it came to pass, when He drew near to ^[x]Bethphage and ^(CR)Bethany, at the mountain called ^(CS)Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”

³² So those who were sent went their way and found it just ^(CT)as He had said to them. ³³ But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”

³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” ³⁵ Then they brought him to Jesus. ^(CU)And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. ³⁶ And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.

³⁷ Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to ^(CV)rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸ saying:

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

⁴⁰ But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, ^(CY)the stones would immediately cry out.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

⁴¹ Now as He drew near, He saw the city and ^(CZ)wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this ^(DA)your day, the things that ^(DB)make for your ^(DC)peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For days will come upon you when your enemies will ^(DD)build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, ^44 (DE)and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and ^(DF)they will not leave in you one stone upon another, ^(DG)because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple^(DH)

^45 (DI)Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who ^[y]bought and sold in it, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ^(DJ)‘My house ^[z]is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ^(DK)‘den of thieves.’ ”

⁴⁷ And He ^(DL)was teaching daily in the temple. But ^(DM)the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, ⁴⁸ and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to ^(DN)hear Him.

Jesus’ Authority Questioned^(DO)

20 Now ^(DP)it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, ^(DQ)by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”

³ But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The ^(DR)baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”

⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why ^[aa]then did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, ^(DS)for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers^(DT)

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: ^(DU)“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to ^[ab]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ Now at ^[ac]vintage-time he ^(DV)sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the ^(DW)heir. Come, ^(DX)let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ^(DY)ours.’ ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and ^(DZ)killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to ^(EA)others.”

And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”

¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

¹⁸ Whoever falls on that stone will be ^(EC)broken; but ^(ED)on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they ^[ad]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?^(EE)

^20 (EF)So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.

²¹ Then they asked Him, saying, ^(EG)“Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ^[ae]“Why do you test Me? ²⁴ Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ And He said to them, ^(EH)“Render^[af] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?^(EI)

^27 (EJ)Then some of the Sadducees, ^(EK)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸ saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ^[ag]took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹ Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven ^[ah]also; and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are ^(EL)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ nor can they die anymore, for ^(EM)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, ^(EN)being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ^(EO)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for ^(EP)all live to Him.”

³⁹ Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?^(EQ)

⁴¹ And He said to them, ^(ER)“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? ⁴² Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; ^(ET)how is He then his Son?”

Beware of the Scribes^(EU)

^45 (EV)Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, ^46 (EW)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, ^(EX)love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ^47 (EY)who devour widows’ houses, and for a ^(EZ)pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

Laws of Social Responsibility

25 “If there is a ^(A)dispute between men, and they come to ^[a]court, that the judges may judge them, and they ^(B)justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, ² then it shall be, if the wicked man ^(C)deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down ^(D)and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows. ^3 (E)Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother ^(F)be humiliated in your sight.

^4 (G)“You shall not muzzle an ox while it ^[b]treads out the grain.

Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother

^5 (H)“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ⁶ And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears ^(I)will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that ^(J)his name may not be blotted out of Israel. ⁷ But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the ^(K)gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’ ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, ^(L)‘I do not want to take her,’ ⁹ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, ^(M)remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not ^(N)build up his brother’s house.’ ¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’

Miscellaneous Laws

¹¹ “If two men fight together, and the wife of one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of the one attacking him, and puts out her hand and seizes him by the genitals, ¹² then you shall cut off her hand; ^(O)your eye shall not pity her.

^13 (P)“You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. ¹⁴ You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. ¹⁵ You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, ^(Q)that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁶ For ^(R)all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are ^[c]an abomination to the Lord your God.

Destroy the Amalekites

^17 (S)“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, ¹⁸ how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he ^(T)did not fear God. ¹⁹ Therefore it shall be, ^(U)when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will ^(V)blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.

Offerings of Firstfruits and Tithes

26 “And it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, ^2 (W)that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and ^(X)go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. ³ And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord ^[d]your God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’

⁴ “Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God: ‘My father was ^(Y)a ^[e]Syrian, ^(Z)about to perish, and ^(AA)he went down to Egypt and ^[f]dwelt there, ^(AB)few in number; and there he became a nation, ^(AC)great, mighty, and populous. ⁶ But the ^(AD)Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us. ^7 (AE)Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. ⁸ So ^(AF)the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, ^(AG)with great terror and with signs and wonders. ⁹ He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, ^(AH)“a land flowing with milk and honey”; ¹⁰ and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’

“Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God. ¹¹ So ^(AI)you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.

¹² “When you have finished laying aside all the ^(AJ)tithe of your increase in the third year—^(AK)the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, ¹³ then you shall say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed the ^[g]holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, ^(AL)nor have I forgotten them. ^14 (AM)I have not eaten any of it ^[h]when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it ^[i]for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. ^15 (AN)Look down from Your holy ^[j]habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, ^(AO)“a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

A Special People of God

¹⁶ “This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷ Today you have ^(AP)proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will ^(AQ)obey His voice. ¹⁸ Also today ^(AR)the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, ¹⁹ and that He will set you ^(AS)high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be ^(AT)a ^[k]holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”