Mark 12:28-34

Common English Bible

God’s most important command

²⁸One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

²⁹Jesus replied, “The most important one is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, ³⁰and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.^[a] ³¹The second is this, You will love your neighbor as yourself.^[b] No other commandment is greater than these.”

³²The legal expert said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have truthfully said that God is one and there is no other besides him. ³³And to love God with all of the heart, a full understanding, and all of one’s strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is much more important than all kinds of entirely burned offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered with wisdom, he said to him, “You aren’t far from God’s kingdom.” After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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Footnotes

Amos 5:11-15

Common English Bible

¹¹Truly, because you crush the weak,
        and because you tax their grain,
    you have built houses of carved stone,
        but you won’t live in them;
    you have planted pleasant vineyards,
        but you won’t drink their wine.
¹²I know how many are your crimes,
        and how numerous are your sins—
    afflicting the righteous,
        taking money on the side,
        turning away the poor who seek help.
¹³Therefore, the one who is wise will keep silent in that time;
        it is an evil time.

Words of inspiration

¹⁴Seek good and not evil,
        that you may live;
    and so the Lord, the God of heavenly forces,
        will be with you just as you have said.
¹⁵Hate evil, love good,
        and establish justice at the city gate.
Perhaps the Lord God of heavenly forces
        will be gracious to what is left of Joseph.

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Amos 5:21-24

Common English Bible

²¹I hate, I reject your festivals;
    I don’t enjoy your joyous assemblies.
²²If you bring me your entirely burned offerings and gifts of food—
        I won’t be pleased;
    I won’t even look at your offerings of well-fed animals.
²³Take away the noise of your songs;
        I won’t listen to the melody of your harps.
²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,
        and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.