Ezekiel 18:1-4

English Standard Version

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“What do you^[a] mean ^(A)by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ^(B)‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? ³^(C)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(D)this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: ^(E)the soul who sins shall die.

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Footnotes

Ezekiel 18:2 The Hebrew for you is plural

Ezekiel 18:25-32

English Standard Version

²⁵^(A)“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? ²⁶^(B)When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷Again, ^(C)when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. ²⁸Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

³⁰“Therefore ^(D)I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. ^(E)Repent and turn from all your transgressions, ^(F)lest iniquity be your ruin.^[a] ³¹^(G)Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and ^(H)make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ^(I)Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²^(J)For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; ^(K)so turn, and live.”

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Footnotes

Ezekiel 18:30 Or lest iniquity be your stumbling block

Psalm 25

English Standard Version

Teach Me Your Paths

^[a] Of David.

25 To you, O Lord, I ^(A)lift up my soul.
²O my God, in you I ^(B)trust;
    ^(C)let me not be put to shame;
    ^(D)let not my enemies exult over me.
³Indeed, ^(E)none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
    they shall be ashamed who are ^(F)wantonly ^(G)treacherous.

⁴^(H)Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵Lead me in your ^(I)truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

⁶Remember your ^(J)mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    ^(K)for they have been from of old.
⁷Remember not ^(L)the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your ^(M)steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸^(N)Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he ^(O)instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are ^(P)steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For your ^(Q)name's sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is ^(R)great.
¹²Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him ^(S)will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³His soul shall ^(T)abide in well-being,
    and his ^(U)offspring ^(V)shall inherit the land.
¹⁴^(W)The friendship^[b] of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵My ^(X)eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will ^(Y)pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶^(Z)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸^(AA)Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Consider how many are my foes,
    and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    ^(AB)Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

²²^(AC)Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.

Footnotes

Psalm 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 25:14 Or The secret counsel

Philippians 2:1-13

English Standard Version

Christ's Example of Humility

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from ^(A)love, any ^(B)participation in the Spirit, any ^(C)affection and sympathy, ²^(D)complete my joy by being ^(E)of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from ^(F)selfish ambition or ^(G)conceit, but in ^(H)humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you ^(I)look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵^(J)Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,^[a] ⁶^(K)who, though he was in ^(L)the form of God, did not count equality with God ^(M)a thing to be grasped,^[b] ⁷but ^(N)emptied himself, by taking the form of a ^(O)servant,^[c] ^(P)being born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by ^(Q)becoming obedient to the point of death, ^(R)even death on a cross. ⁹^(S)Therefore ^(T)God has ^(U)highly exalted him and bestowed on him ^(V)the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus ^(W)every knee should bow, ^(X)in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and ^(Y)every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is ^(Z)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

¹²Therefore, my beloved, ^(AA)as you have always ^(AB)obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for ^(AC)it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for ^(AD)his good pleasure.

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Footnotes

Philippians 2:5 Or which was also in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:6 Or a thing to be held on to for advantage
Philippians 2:7 Or slave (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)

Matthew 21:28-32

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸^(A)“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in ^(B)the vineyard today.’ ²⁹And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he ^(C)changed his mind and went. ³⁰And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^(D)the tax collectors and ^(E)the prostitutes go into ^(F)the kingdom of God before you. ³²For John came to you ^(G)in the way of righteousness, and ^(H)you did not believe him, but ^(I)the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward ^(J)change your minds and believe him.