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Reverence, Humility, and Contentment

[a]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools, for they do not know how to keep from doing evil.[b](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 5.1 4.17 in Heb
  2. 5.1 Cn: Heb they do not know how to do evil

Hearing and Doing the Word

19 You must understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,(A)

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28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, 29 for indeed our God is a consuming fire.(A)

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The Living Stone and a Chosen People

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.(A) Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation(B)

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The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the prayer of the upright is his delight.(A)

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12 When you come to appear before me,[a]
    who asked this from your hand?
    Trample my courts no more!(A)
13 Bringing offerings is futile;
    incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation—
    I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.(B)
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals
    my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.(C)
15 When you stretch out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    your hands are full of blood.(D)
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove your evil deeds
    from before my eyes;
cease to do evil;(E)
17     learn to do good;
seek justice;
    rescue the oppressed;
defend the orphan;
    plead for the widow.(F)

18 Come now, let us argue it out,
    says the Lord:
If your sins are like scarlet,
    will they become like snow?
If they are red like crimson,
    will they become like wool?(G)
19 If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land,(H)
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be devoured by the sword,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.12 Or see my face

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
    how much more when brought with evil intent.(A)

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a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
    great and awesome[a] above all who are around him?(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 89.7 Gk Syr: Heb greatly awesome

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.(A)
I will not accept a bull from your house
    or goats from your folds.(B)
10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
    the cattle on a thousand hills.(C)
11 I know all the birds of the air,[a]
    and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for the world and all that is in it is mine.(D)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[b]
    and pay your vows to the Most High.(E)
15 Call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”(F)

16 But to the wicked God says,
    “What right have you to recite my statutes
    or take my covenant on your lips?(G)
17 For you hate discipline,
    and you cast my words behind you.(H)
18 You make friends with a thief when you see one,
    and you keep company with adulterers.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. 50.11 Gk Syr Tg: Heb mountains
  2. 50.14 Or make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God

15 The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.(A)

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Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”(A)

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26 For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins(A)

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22 What! Do you not have households to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

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Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who kills a human,
    whoever sacrifices a lamb like one who breaks a dog’s neck,
whoever presents a grain offering like one who offers pig’s blood,
    whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense like one who blesses an idol.
Just as these have chosen their own ways
    and in their abominations they take delight,(A)

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Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,

‘Through those who are near me
    I will show myself holy,
and before all the people
    I will be glorified.’ ”

And Aaron was silent.(A)

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16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”(A) 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

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11 These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.(A)

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33 Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”

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10 Oh, that someone among you would shut the temple[a] doors, so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hands.(A) 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure offering, for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.10 Heb lacks temple

21 But from the spoil the people took sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”(A) 22 And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as in obedience to the voice of the Lord?
Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice
    and to heed than the fat of rams.(B)

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In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,(A) and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,(B) but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.(C)

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For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.(A)

But at[a] Adam they transgressed the covenant;
    there they dealt faithlessly with me.

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Footnotes

  1. 6.7 Cn: Heb like

Pride and Apostasy

16 But when he had become strong he grew proud, to his destruction. For he acted unfaithfully toward the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to make offering on the altar of incense.(A)

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12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the Lord,’ so I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” 13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you. The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever,(A)

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21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.(A) 22 For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.(B) 23 But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.”(C)

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