⁶ “For ^(A)you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be ^(B)a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ⁷ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ⁸ but ^(C)it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping ^(D)the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, ^(E)the faithful God ^(F)who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together ^(A)for good,^[a] for ^(B)those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he ^(C)foreknew he also ^(D)predestined ^(E)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^(F)the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also ^(G)justified, and those whom he justified he also ^(H)glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(I)If God is for us, who can be^[b] against us? ^32 (J)He who did not spare his own Son but ^(K)gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(L)It is God who justifies. ^34 (M)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(N)who is at the right hand of God, ^(O)who indeed is interceding for us.^{[c] 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than ^(R)conquerors through ^(S)him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven ^(A)is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy ^(B)he goes and sells all that he has and ^(C)buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding ^(D)one pearl of great value, ^(E)went and sold all that he had and ^(F)bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^(G)like a net that was thrown into the sea and ^(H)gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, ^(I)men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at ^(J)the end of the age. The angels will come out and ^(K)separate the evil from the righteous ^50 (L)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(M)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

^51 (N)“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” ⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every ^(O)scribe ^(P)who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who ^(Q)brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”