12 I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.

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12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(A)
    and they will not benefit you.

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You who hate good and love evil;
Who strip the skin from [a]My people,
And the flesh from their bones;
Who also (A)eat the flesh of My people,
Flay their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And chop them in pieces
Like meat for the pot,
(B)Like flesh in the caldron.”

Then (C)they will cry to the Lord,
But He will not hear them;
He will even hide His face from them at that time,
Because they have been evil in their deeds.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:2 Lit. them

    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(A)
who eat my people’s flesh,(B)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(C)
who chop(D) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(E)

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(F)
At that time he will hide his face(G) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(H)

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11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your (A)sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.

12 “When you come (B)to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more (C)futile[a] sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and (D)the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your (E)New Moons and your (F)appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 (G)When you [b]spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
(H)Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of [c]blood.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:13 worthless
  2. Isaiah 1:15 Pray
  3. Isaiah 1:15 bloodshed

11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;(A)
I have no pleasure(B)
    in the blood of bulls(C) and lambs and goats.(D)
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,(E)
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!(F)
    Your incense(G) is detestable(H) to me.
New Moons,(I) Sabbaths and convocations(J)
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon(K) feasts and your appointed festivals(L)
    I hate with all my being.(M)
They have become a burden to me;(N)
    I am weary(O) of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands(P) in prayer,
    I hide(Q) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.(R)

Your hands(S) are full of blood!(T)

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10 As it is written:

(A)“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their(B) throat is an open [a]tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
(C)“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose(D) mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their(E) feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There(F) is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever (G)the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that (H)every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become [b]guilty before God. 20 Therefore (I)by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:13 grave
  2. Romans 3:19 accountable

10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[a](A)
13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[b](B)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[c](C)
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[d](D)
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[e](E)
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[f](F)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says,(G) it says to those who are under the law,(H) so that every mouth may be silenced(I) and the whole world held accountable to God.(J) 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law;(K) rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20
  2. Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
  3. Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
  4. Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)
  5. Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
  6. Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1

13 “But (A)woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

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Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(A) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(B)

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But all their works they do to (A)be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

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“Everything they do is done for people to see:(A) They make their phylacteries[a](B) wide and the tassels on their garments(C) long;

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses, worn on forehead and arm

(A)Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’

“For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly (B)execute [a]judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, (C)or walk after other gods to your hurt, (D)then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in (E)the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

“Behold, you trust in (F)lying words that cannot profit. (G)Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and (H)walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 (I)and then come and stand before Me in this house (J)which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has (K)this house, which is called by My name, become a (L)den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 7:5 justice

Do not trust(A) in deceptive(B) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change(C) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(D) if you do not oppress(E) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(F) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(G) to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land(H) I gave your ancestors(I) for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting(J) in deceptive(K) words that are worthless.

“‘Will you steal(L) and murder,(M) commit adultery(N) and perjury,[a](O) burn incense to Baal(P) and follow other gods(Q) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(R) before me in this house,(S) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(T) 11 Has this house,(U) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(V) to you? But I have been watching!(W) declares the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
(A)In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.

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You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(A)
    who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
    you were angry.(B)
    How then can we be saved?

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(A)Their webs will not become garments,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And the act of violence is in their hands.
(B)Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed (C)innocent blood;
(D)Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and (E)destruction are in their paths.
The way of (F)peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
(G)They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

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Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(A)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(B) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(C)
They pursue evil schemes;(D)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(E)
The way of peace they do not know;(F)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(G)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(H)

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Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
‘Why(A) have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we (B)afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And [a]exploit all your laborers.
(C)Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
Is (D)it a fast that I have chosen,
(E)A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And (F)to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To (G)loose the bonds of wickedness,
(H)To undo the [b]heavy burdens,
(I)To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:3 Lit. drive hard
  2. Isaiah 58:6 Lit. bonds of the yoke

For day after day they seek(A) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken(B) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near(C) them.
‘Why have we fasted,’(D) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(E) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’(F)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(G)
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(H)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard(I) on high.
Is this the kind of fast(J) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble(K) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(L)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(M)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting(N) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(O)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(P) free
    and break every yoke?(Q)

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15 (A)Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord,
And their works are in the dark;
(B)They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”

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15 Woe to those who go to great depths
    to hide(A) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
    “Who sees us?(B) Who will know?”(C)

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For I bear them witness (A)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of (B)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (C)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

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For I can testify about them that they are zealous(A) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.(B)

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“He(A) who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he (B)breaks a dog’s neck;
He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood;
He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
Just as they have chosen their own ways,
And their soul delights in their abominations,
So will I choose their delusions,
And bring their fears on them;
(C)Because, when I called, no one answered,
When I spoke they did not hear;
But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”

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But whoever sacrifices a bull(A)
    is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
    is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
    is like one who presents pig’s(B) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense(C)
    is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,(D)
    and they delight in their abominations;(E)
so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
    and will bring on them what they dread.(F)
For when I called, no one answered,(G)
    when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil(H) in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”(I)

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