13 Therefore the Lord said:

(A)“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me (B)with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

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Now [a]when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with (A)unwashed hands, [b]they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands [c]in a special way, holding the (B)tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

(C)Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you (D)hypocrites, as it is written:

(E)‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—[d]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

He said to them, All too well (F)you [e]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, (G)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (H)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, (I)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:2 NU omits when
  2. Mark 7:2 NU omits they found fault
  3. Mark 7:3 Lit. with the fist
  4. Mark 7:8 NU omits the rest of v. 8.
  5. Mark 7:9 set aside

You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;
They grow, yes, they bear fruit.
(A)You are near in their mouth
But far from their [a]mind.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 12:2 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys

31 So (A)they come to you as people do, they (B)sit before you as My people, and they (C)hear your words, but they do not do them; (D)for with their mouth they show much love, but (E)their hearts pursue their own gain. 32 Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do (F)not do them. 33 (G)And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then (H)they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

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10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me (A)with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:3 Lit. drive hard

(A)“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, (B)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (C)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, (D)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father [a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the [b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. (E)Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These(F) people [c]draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
(G)Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:6 NU omits or mother
  2. Matthew 15:6 NU word
  3. Matthew 15:8 NU omits draw near to Me with their mouth, And

(A)Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

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22 which all concern things which perish with the using—(A)according to the commandments and doctrines of men?

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20 For you [a]were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 42:20 Lit. used deceit against your souls

and said to Jeremiah the prophet, (A)“Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and (B)pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but (C)a few of many, as you can see), that the Lord your God may show us (D)the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.”

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall be, that (E)whatever the Lord answers you, I will declare it to you. I will (F)keep nothing back from you.”

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Israel Refined for God’s Glory

48 “Hear this, O house of Jacob,
Who are called by the name of Israel,
And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah;
Who swear by the name of the Lord,
And make mention of the God of Israel,
But (A)not in truth or in righteousness;
For they call themselves (B)after the holy city,
And (C)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of hosts is His name:

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(A)Though they say, ‘As (B)the Lord lives,’
Surely they (C)swear falsely.”

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Hezekiah Reigns in Judah(A)

29 Hezekiah (B)became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was [a]Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David 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. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, and said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now [b]sanctify yourselves, (D)sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have (E)turned their faces away from the [c]dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him. (F)They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the (G)wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has (H)given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to (I)jeering, as you see with your (J)eyes. For indeed, because of this (K)our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

10 “Now it is in my heart to make (L)a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has (M)chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense.”

12 Then these Levites arose: (N)Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the (O)Kohathites; of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 And they gathered their brethren, (P)sanctified[d] themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the Lord, (Q)to cleanse the house of the Lord. 16 Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the Lord to the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook (R)Kidron.

17 Now they began to [e]sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. So they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. 19 Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had (S)cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and [f]sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the Lord.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers 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 for a (T)sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and (U)sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their (V)hands on them. 24 And the priests killed them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering (W)to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

25 (X)And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, (Y)according to the commandment of David, of (Z)Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; (AA)for thus was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments (AB)of David, and the priests with (AC)the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, (AD)the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had finished offering, (AE)the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30 Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near, and bring sacrifices and (AF)thank offerings into the house of the Lord.” So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a (AG)willing heart brought burnt offerings.

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Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation

A Prayer of David.

17 Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.

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I will send him against (A)an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will (B)give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

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