Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

¹⁰ For ^(A)God is not unjust so as to overlook ^(B)your work and the love that you have shown for his name in ^(C)serving the saints, as you still do.

^7 (A)Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for ^(B)whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For ^(C)the one who sows to his own flesh ^(D)will from the flesh reap corruption, but ^(E)the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

¹² Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and ^(A)prolongs his life, yet I know that ^(B)it will be well with ^(C)those who fear God, because they fear before him.

^9 (A)walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; ^(B)he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

¹⁰ “If he fathers a son who is violent, ^(C)a shedder of blood, who does any of these things ¹¹ (though he himself did none of these things), ^(D)who even eats upon the mountains, ^(E)defiles his neighbor's wife, ¹² oppresses the poor and needy, ^(F)commits robbery, ^(G)does not restore the pledge, ^(H)lifts up his eyes to the idols, ^(I)commits abomination, ^13 (J)lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; ^(K)his blood shall be upon himself.

¹⁴ “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: ¹⁵ he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, ¹⁶ does not oppress anyone, ^(L)exacts no pledge, ^(M)commits no robbery, ^(N)but gives his bread to the hungry ^(O)and covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷ withholds his hand from iniquity,^[a] takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, ^(P)and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father's iniquity; ^(Q)he shall surely live. ¹⁸ As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, ^(R)behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

¹⁹ “Yet you say, ^(S)‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done ^(T)what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, ^(U)he shall surely live.

Blessings for Obedience

28 “And ^(A)if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you ^(B)high above all the nations of the earth. ² And all these blessings shall come upon you and ^(C)overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. ³ Blessed shall you be in the city, and ^(D)blessed shall you be in the field. ⁴ Blessed shall be ^(E)the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. ⁵ Blessed shall be your basket and your ^(F)kneading bowl. ⁶ Blessed shall you be ^(G)when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

⁷ “The Lord ^(H)will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. ⁸ The Lord ^(I)will command the blessing on you in your barns and ^(J)in all that you undertake. ^(K)And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ^9 (L)The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ And ^(M)all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are ^(N)called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be ^(O)afraid of you. ¹¹ And ^(P)the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in ^(Q)the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. ¹² The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, ^(R)to give the rain to your land in its season and ^(S)to bless all the work of your hands. And ^(T)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. ¹³ And the Lord will make you ^(U)the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, ^14 (V)and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

¹⁸ Then once more you shall ^(A)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.