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You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us 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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35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.

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35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.(A)

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16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

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16 Let us then approach(A) God’s throne of grace with confidence,(B) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

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13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:13 Some manuscripts read not yet achieved it.

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind(A) and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on(B) toward the goal to win the prize(C) for which God has called(D) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

15 All of us, then, who are mature(E) should take such a view of things.(F) And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.(G)

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He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.

Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!

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He and all his family were devout and God-fearing;(A) he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon(B) he had a vision.(C) He distinctly saw an angel(D) of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering(E) before God.(F)

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A Call to Repentance

“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.

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Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(A) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(B)

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“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
    How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
    or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
    and my compassion overflows.

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“How can I give you up,(A) Ephraim?(B)
    How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
    How can I make you like Zeboyim?(C)
My heart is changed within me;
    all my compassion(D) is aroused.(E)

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18 I have heard Israel[a] saying,
‘You disciplined me severely,
    like a calf that needs training for the yoke.
Turn me again to you and restore me,
    for you alone are the Lord my God.
19 I turned away from God,
    but then I was sorry.
I kicked myself for my stupidity!
    I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.’

20 “Is not Israel still my son,
    my darling child?” says the Lord.
“I often have to punish him,
    but I still love him.
That’s why I long for him
    and surely will have mercy on him.

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Footnotes

  1. 31:18 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 31:20.

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined(A) me like an unruly calf,(B)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore(C) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I strayed,(D)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat(E) my breast.
I was ashamed(F) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’(G)
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child(H) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember(I) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion(J) for him,”
declares the Lord.

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10 But they rebelled against him
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy
    and fought against them.

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10 Yet they rebelled(A)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(B)
So he turned and became their enemy(C)
    and he himself fought(D) against them.

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Blessings for All Nations

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Be just and fair to all.
    Do what is right and good,
for I am coming soon to rescue you
    and to display my righteousness among you.
Blessed are all those
    who are careful to do this.
Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
    and keep themselves from doing wrong.

“Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,
    ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’
And don’t let the eunuchs say,
    ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
For this is what the Lord says:
I will bless those eunuchs
    who keep my Sabbath days holy
and who choose to do what pleases me
    and commit their lives to me.
I will give them—within the walls of my house—
    a memorial and a name
    far greater than sons and daughters could give.
For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
    It will never disappear!

“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord,
    who serve him and love his name,
who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest,
    and who hold fast to my covenant.
I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem
    and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,
    because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

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Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice(A)
    and do what is right,(B)
for my salvation(C) is close at hand
    and my righteousness(D) will soon be revealed.
Blessed(E) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(F) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

Let no foreigner(G) who is bound to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(H)
And let no eunuch(I) complain,
    “I am only a dry tree.”

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs(J) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant(K)
to them I will give within my temple and its walls(L)
    a memorial(M) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(N)
    that will endure forever.(O)
And foreigners(P) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister(Q) to him,
to love the name(R) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(S) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain(T)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(U)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.(V)(W)

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Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;
    our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
In the night I search for you;
    in the morning[a] I earnestly seek you.
For only when you come to judge the earth
    will people learn what is right.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:9 Hebrew within me.

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[a](A)
    we wait(B) for you;
your name(C) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;(D)
    in the morning my spirit longs(E) for you.
When your judgments(F) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments

Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Lord!

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
    and delight in obeying his commands.

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Footnotes

  1. 112 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; after the introductory note of praise, each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Lord.[b](A)

Blessed are those(B) who fear the Lord,(C)
    who find great delight(D) in his commands.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children

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17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children(A)

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