14 if my people, who are called by my name,(A) will humble(B) themselves and pray and seek my face(C) and turn(D) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(E) from heaven, and I will forgive(F) their sin and will heal(G) their land.

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Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.(A)
I said, “I will confess(B)
    my transgressions(C) to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.(D)

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;(E)
surely the rising(F) of the mighty waters(G)
    will not reach them.(H)

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Psalm 51[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.(A)

Have mercy(B) on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;(C)
according to your great compassion(D)
    blot out(E) my transgressions.(F)
Wash away(G) all my iniquity
    and cleanse(H) me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.(I)
Against you, you only, have I sinned(J)
    and done what is evil in your sight;(K)
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.(L)
Surely I was sinful(M) at birth,(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom(O) in that secret place.(P)

Cleanse(Q) me with hyssop,(R) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(S)
Let me hear joy and gladness;(T)
    let the bones(U) you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins(V)
    and blot out(W) all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart,(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.(Y)
11 Do not cast me(Z) from your presence(AA)
    or take your Holy Spirit(AB) from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation(AC)
    and grant me a willing spirit,(AD) to sustain me.(AE)

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,(AF)
    so that sinners(AG) will turn back to you.(AH)
14 Deliver me(AI) from the guilt of bloodshed,(AJ) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,(AK)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.(AL)
15 Open my lips, Lord,(AM)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice,(AN) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice,(AO) O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart(AP)
    you, God, will not despise.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.
  2. Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are

Seek(A) the Lord while he may be found;(B)
    call(C) on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake(D) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.(E)
Let them turn(F) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(G) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(H)

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12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(A)

“‘Return,(B) faithless(C) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(D) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry(E) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(F) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(G)
    under every spreading tree,(H)
    and have not obeyed(I) me,’”
declares the Lord.

14 “Return,(J) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(K) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.

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30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent!(A) Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.(B) 31 Rid(C) yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart(D) and a new spirit. Why(E) will you die, people of Israel?(F) 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent(G) and live!(H)

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14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just(A) and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge(B) for a loan, return what they have stolen,(C) follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die.(D) 16 None of the sins(E) that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.(F)

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Jesus Announces the Good News(A)

14 After John(B) was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,(C) proclaiming the good news of God.(D) 15 “The time has come,”(E) he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe(F) the good news!”(G)

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John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)(B)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate(C) was governor of Judea, Herod(D) tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,(E) the word of God came to John(F) son of Zechariah(G) in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(H) As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[a](I)

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!(J) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(K) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(L) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”(M)

10 “What should we do then?”(N) the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”(O)

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized.(P) “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”(Q) he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely(R)—be content with your pay.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 3:6 Isaiah 40:3-5

Repent or Perish

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate(A) had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?(B) I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam(C) fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent,(D) you too will all perish.”

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The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

To some who were confident of their own righteousness(A) and looked down on everyone else,(B) Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray,(C) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself(D) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast(E) twice a week and give a tenth(F) of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast(G) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’(H)

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(I)

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38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,(A) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.(B) And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(C)

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19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,(A) that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

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31 God exalted him to his own right hand(A) as Prince and Savior(B) that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.(C)

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30 In the past God overlooked(A) such ignorance,(B) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.(C) 31 For he has set a day when he will judge(D) the world with justice(E) by the man he has appointed.(F) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(G)

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16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet.(A) I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.(B) 17 I will rescue you(C) from your own people and from the Gentiles.(D) I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes(E) and turn them from darkness to light,(F) and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins(G) and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’(H)

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Or do you show contempt for the riches(A) of his kindness,(B) forbearance(C) and patience,(D) not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?(E)

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Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,(A) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation(B) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,(C) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

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for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned(A) to God from idols(B) to serve the living and true God,(C)

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The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,(A) as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient(B) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.(C)

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