The Blessings of Israel

⁶ “This is what the Lord says, He who is the ^(K)King of Israel and his ^(L)Redeemer, the Lord of armies:

The Foolishness of Idolatry

⁹ Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ^(T)put to shame. ¹⁰ Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to ^(U)no benefit? ¹¹ Behold, all his companions will be ^(V)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.

¹² The ^(W)craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, ^[h]fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and ^[i]his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. ^13 (X)The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of ^(Y)mankind, so that it may sit in a ^(Z)house. ¹⁴ He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. ¹⁵ Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also ^(AA)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and ^(AB)bows down before it. ¹⁶ Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” ¹⁷ Yet the rest of it he ^(AC)makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also ^(AD)prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”

¹⁸ They do not ^(AE)know, nor do they understand, for He has ^(AF)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. ¹⁹ No one ^[j]remembers, nor is there ^(AG)knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then ^[k]I make the rest of it into an ^(AH)abomination, ^[l]I bow down before a block of wood!” ²⁰ He ^[m](AI)feeds on ashes; a ^(AJ)deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save ^[n]himself, nor say, “^(AK)Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

God Forgives and Redeems

²⁴ This is what the Lord says, He who is your ^(AV)Redeemer, and the one who ^(AW)formed you from the womb:

Believers United to Christ

7 Or do you not know, ^(A)brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the ^[a]Law), that the ^[b]Law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? ² For ^(B)the married woman is bound by law to her ^[c]husband as long as he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law ^[d]concerning the husband. ³ So then, if while her husband is alive she ^[e]gives herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she ^[f]gives herself to another man.

⁴ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were ^(C)put to death ^(D)in regard to the Law ^(E)through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were ^(F)in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were ^(G)brought to light by the Law, were at work ^(H)in ^[g]the parts of our body to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we have been ^(I)released from the Law, having ^(J)died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in ^(K)newness of ^(L)the ^[h]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

^7 (M)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? ^(N)[i]Far from it! On the contrary, ^(O)I would not have come to know sin except ^[j]through the Law; for I would not have known about ^[k]coveting if the Law had not said, “^(P)You shall not ^[l]covet.” ⁸ But sin, ^(Q)taking an opportunity ^(R)through the commandment, produced in me ^[m]coveting of every kind; for ^(S)apart ^[n]from the Law sin is dead. ⁹ I was once alive apart ^[o]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; ¹⁰ and this commandment, which was ^[p](T)to result in life, proved ^[q]to result in death for me; ¹¹ for sin, ^(U)taking an opportunity ^(V)through the commandment, ^(W)deceived me, and through it, killed me. ^12 (X)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? ^[r](Y)Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

The Conflict of Serving Two Masters

¹⁴ For we know that the Law is ^(Z)spiritual, but I am ^(AA)fleshly, ^(AB)sold ^[s](AC)into bondage to sin. ¹⁵ For ^(AD)I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing ^(AE)what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with ^(AF)the Law, that the Law is good. ¹⁷ But now, ^(AG)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my ^(AH)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. ¹⁹ For ^(AI)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I do the very thing I do not want, ^(AJ)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

²¹ I find then ^(AK)the ^[t]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully agree with the law of God ^[u]in ^(AL)the inner person, ²³ but I see ^(AM)a different law in ^[v]the parts of my body waging war against the ^(AN)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner ^[w]of ^(AO)the law of sin, the law which is in ^[x]my body’s parts. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^[y](AP)the body of this ^(AQ)death? ^25 (AR)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh ^(AS)the law of sin.

Deliverance from Bondage

8 Therefore there is now no ^(AT)condemnation at all for those who are ^(AU)in ^(AV)Christ Jesus. ² For ^(AW)the law of the Spirit of life ^[z]in ^(AX)Christ Jesus ^(AY)has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For ^(AZ)what the Law could not do, ^[aa](BA)weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in ^(BB)the likeness of ^[ab]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the ^(BC)requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who ^(BD)do not walk ^[ac]according to the flesh but ^[ad]according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on ^(BE)the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, ^(BF)the things of the Spirit. ^6 (BG)For the mind ^[ae]set on the flesh is ^(BH)death, but the mind ^[af]set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind ^[ag]set on the flesh is ^(BI)hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are ^(BJ)in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ However, you are not ^(BK)in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God ^(BL)dwells in you. But ^(BM)if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ^10 (BN)If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is ^[ah]alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who ^(BO)raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, ^(BP)He who raised ^(BQ)Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[ai]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for ^(BR)if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are ^(BS)putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are ^(BT)being led by the Spirit of God, these are ^(BU)sons and daughters of God. ¹⁵ For you ^(BV)have not received a spirit of slavery ^[aj]leading to fear again, but you ^(BW)have received ^[ak]a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “^(BX)Abba! ^[al]Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself ^(BY)testifies with our spirit that we are ^(BZ)children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, ^(CA)heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^(CB)if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ^(CC)are not worthy to be compared with the ^(CD)glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the ^(CE)eagerly awaiting creation waits for ^(CF)the revealing of the ^(CG)sons and daughters of God. ²⁰ For the creation ^(CH)was subjected to ^(CI)futility, not willingly, but ^(CJ)because of Him who subjected it, ^[am]in hope ²¹ that ^(CK)the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation ^(CL)groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. ^23 (CM)And not only that, but also we ourselves, having ^(CN)the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves ^(CO)groan within ourselves, ^(CP)waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, ^(CQ)the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For ^(CR)in hope we have been saved, but ^(CS)hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But ^(CT)if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Our Victory in Christ

²⁶ Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for ^(CU)we do not know what to pray for as we should, but ^(CV)the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with ^[an]groanings too deep for words; ²⁷ and ^(CW)He who searches the hearts knows what ^(CX)the mind of the Spirit is, because He ^(CY)intercedes for the ^[ao]saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that ^[ap]God ^[aq]causes ^(CZ)all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are ^(DA)called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He ^(DB)foreknew, He also ^(DC)predestined to become ^(DD)conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the ^(DE)firstborn among many brothers and sisters; ³⁰ and these whom He ^(DF)predestined, He also ^(DG)called; and these whom He called, He also ^(DH)justified; and these whom He justified, He also ^(DI)glorified.

^31 (DJ)What then shall we say to these things? ^(DK)If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who ^(DL)did not spare His own Son, but ^(DM)delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring charges against ^(DN)God’s elect? ^(DO)God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who ^(DP)condemns? Christ Jesus is He who ^(DQ)died, but rather, was ^[ar](DR)raised, who is ^(DS)at the right hand of God, who also ^(DT)intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from ^(DU)the love of ^[as]Christ? Will ^(DV)tribulation, or trouble, or ^(DW)persecution, or ^(DX)famine, or ^(DY)nakedness, or ^(DZ)danger, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written:

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly ^(EB)conquer through ^(EC)Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither ^(ED)death, nor life, nor ^(EE)angels, nor principalities, nor ^(EF)things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from ^(EG)the love of God that is ^(EH)in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.

For the music director; ^[a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked