²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^(A)

⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.^(A)

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock^(A) to their enemies. ²⁶ So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

²⁷ Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”^{(B) 28} The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?^(A) If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly^(A) point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.^(A) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.

⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant^(A) of life and peace,^(B) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence^(C) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction^(D) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked^(E) with me in peace^(F) and uprightness,^(G) and turned many from sin.^(H)

⁷ “For the lips of a priest^(I) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger^(J) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.^(K)