(A)Yet they seek me daily
    and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
    and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
    they delight to draw near to God.

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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.

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16 (A)They profess to know God, but they (B)deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, (C)unfit for any good work.

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16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.(A) They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.(B)

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13 And the Lord said:
“Because (A)this people (B)draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

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13 The Lord says:

“These people(A) come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,(B)
    but their hearts are far from me.(C)
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[a](D)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 29:13 Hebrew; Septuagint They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules

(A)You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

(B)“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as (C)doctrines the commandments of men.’”

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You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.(A)[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13

A Living Stone and a Holy People

(A)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. (B)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual (C)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

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Therefore, rid yourselves(A) of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander(B) of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,(C) so that by it you may grow up(D) in your salvation,

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21 Therefore (A)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with (B)meekness the implanted word, (C)which is able to save your souls.

22 But be (D)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

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21 Therefore, get rid of(A) all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,(B) which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.(C)

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For it is impossible, in the case of those (A)who have once been enlightened, who have tasted (B)the heavenly gift, and (C)have shared in the Holy Spirit, and (D)have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and (E)then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since (F)they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

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It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,(A) who have tasted the heavenly gift,(B) who have shared in the Holy Spirit,(C) who have tasted the goodness(D) of the word of God(E) and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen[a] away, to be brought back to repentance.(F) To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God(G) all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 6:6 Or age, if they fall

16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it (A)with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but (B)endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately (C)they fall away.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:17 Or stumble

16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

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30 “As for you, (A)son of man, (B)your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ 31 (C)And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for (D)with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. 32 And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and (E)plays[a] well on an instrument, for (F)they hear what you say, but they will not do it. 33 (G)When this comes—and come it will!—(H)then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 33:32 Hebrew like the singing of lustful songs with a beautiful voice and one who plays

30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before(A) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy(B) for unjust gain.(C) 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs(D) with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.(E)

33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.(F)

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35 He was a burning and (A)shining lamp, and (B)you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

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35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light,(A) and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

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14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, (A)we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For (B)you are not swayed by appearances,[a] but truly teach (C)the way of God. Is it lawful to pay (D)taxes to (E)Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:14 Greek you do not look at people's faces

14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a] to Caesar or not?

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens

20 for Herod (A)feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he (B)heard him gladly.

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20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.(A) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[a]; yet he liked to listen to him.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:20 Some early manuscripts he did many things

20 that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. (A)For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, (B)‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and (C)whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’

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20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’(A)

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