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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they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were (A)defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,[a] holding to (B)the tradition of (C)the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.[b] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as (D)the washing of (E)cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.[c]) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to (F)the tradition of (G)the elders, (H)but eat with (I)defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you (J)hypocrites, as it is written,

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

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of (M)rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, (N)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (O)‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)[d] 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus (P)making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:3 Greek unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing
  2. Mark 7:4 Greek unless they baptize; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves
  3. Mark 7:4 Some manuscripts omit and dining couches
  4. Mark 7:11 Or an offering

31 (A)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 (B)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 (C)plays[a] well on an instrument, for (D)they hear what you say, but they will not do it. 33 (E)When this comes—and come it will!—(F)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

You plant them, and they take root;
    they grow and produce fruit;
(A)you are near in their mouth
    and far from their heart.

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(A)“Why do your disciples break (B)the tradition of the elders? (C)For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, (D)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, (E)‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”[a] he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have (F)made void the word[b] of God. (G)You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

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

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:5 Or is an offering
  2. Matthew 15:6 Some manuscripts law

10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me (A)with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the Lord.”

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(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.
(B)‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
    Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,[a]
    (C)and oppress all your workers.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:3 Or pursue your own business

(A)Do not add to his words,
    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

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22 ((A)referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to (B)human precepts and teachings?

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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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(A)Though they say, “As the Lord lives,”
    (B)yet they swear falsely.

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and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let (A)our plea for mercy come before you, and (B)pray to the Lord your God for us, for all (C)this remnant—(D)because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— that (E)the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and (F)whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. (G)I will keep nothing back from you.”

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Israel Refined for God's Glory

48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
    (A)who are called by the name of Israel,
    and (B)who came from the waters of Judah,
(C)who swear by the name of the Lord
    and confess the God of Israel,
    but not in truth or right.
For they call themselves after the holy city,
    (D)and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.

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Hezekiah Reigns in Judah

29 (A)Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah[a] the daughter of (B)Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he (C)opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now (D)consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth[b] from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and (E)have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also (F)shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore (G)the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them (H)an object of horror, of astonishment, (I)and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, (J)our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10 Now (K)it is in my heart (L)to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not now be negligent, (M)for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”

12 Then the Levites arose, (N)Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of (O)the Kohathites; and of the sons of (P)Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the (Q)Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and of the sons of (R)Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of (S)Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and of the sons of (T)Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of (U)Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They gathered their brothers and (V)consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, (W)by the words of the Lord, (X)to cleanse the house of the Lord. 16 The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to (Y)the brook Kidron. 17 They began to consecrate (Z)on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. 19 All the utensils (AA)that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats (AB)for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood (AC)and threw it against the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and their blood was thrown against the altar. 23 Then the goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, (AD)and they laid their hands on them, 24 and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, (AE)to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

25 (AF)And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, (AG)according to the commandment of David and of Gad (AH)the king's seer and of (AI)Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets. 26 The Levites stood with (AJ)the instruments of David, (AK)and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, (AL)the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 When the offering was finished, (AM)the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. 30 And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, (AN)“You have now consecrated yourselves to[c] the Lord. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were (AO)of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 29:1 Spelled Abi in 2 Kings 18:2
  2. 2 Chronicles 29:5 Hebrew impurity
  3. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Hebrew filled your hand for

In the Shadow of Your Wings

A (A)Prayer of David.

17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; (B)attend to my cry!
    Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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Against a (A)godless nation I send him,
    and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take (B)spoil and seize plunder,
    and to (C)tread them down like the mire of the streets.

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