27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: (A)to visit (B)orphans and widows in their affliction, and (C)to keep oneself (D)unstained from the world.

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27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after(A) orphans and widows(B) in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.(C)

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16 (A)Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
(B)cease to do evil,
17     learn to do good;
(C)seek justice,
    correct oppression;
(D)bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow's cause.

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16 Wash(A) and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;(B)
    stop doing wrong.(C)
17 Learn to do right;(D) seek justice.(E)
    Defend the oppressed.[a](F)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;(G)
    plead the case of the widow.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor

17 But (A)if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet (B)closes his heart against him, (C)how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not (D)love in word or talk but in deed and (E)in truth.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;

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17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,(A) how can the love of God be in that person?(B) 18 Dear children,(C) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(D)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:

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And (A)let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, (B)if we do not give up. 10 So then, (C)as we have opportunity, let us (D)do good to everyone, and especially to those who are (E)of the household of faith.

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Let us not become weary in doing good,(A) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.(B) 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good(C) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family(D) of believers.

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(A)Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by (B)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may (C)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 12:2 Greek age
  2. Romans 12:2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God

Do not conform(A) to the pattern of this world,(B) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(C) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is(D)—his good, pleasing(E) and perfect will.

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34 Then (A)the King will say to (B)those on his right, ‘Come, you (C)who are blessed by my Father, (D)inherit (E)the kingdom (F)prepared for you (G)from the foundation of the world. 35 For (H)I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you (I)gave me drink, (J)I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 (K)I was naked and you clothed me, (L)I was sick and you (M)visited me, (N)I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And (O)the King will answer them, (P)‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these (Q)my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, (R)‘Depart from me, you (S)cursed, into (T)the eternal fire prepared for (U)the devil and his angels. 42 For (V)I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, (W)you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away (X)into eternal punishment, but the righteous (Y)into (Z)eternal life.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 25:40 Or brothers and sisters

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom(A) prepared for you since the creation of the world.(B) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,(C) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,(D) I was sick and you looked after me,(E) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’(F)

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(G)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,(H) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire(I) prepared for the devil and his angels.(J) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(K)

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(L)(M)

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Do Not Love the World

15 (A)Do not love the world or the things in the world. (B)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—(C)the desires of the flesh and (D)the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And (E)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 2:16 Or pride in possessions

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world.(A) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them.(B) 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,(C) the lust of the eyes,(D) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away,(E) but whoever does the will of God(F) lives forever.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 2:15 Or world, the Father’s love

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    (A)to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the straps (B)of the yoke,
to let the oppressed[a] go free,
    and to break every yoke?
Is it not (C)to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
    (D)and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:6 Or bruised

“Is not this the kind of fasting(A) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(B)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(C) free
    and break every yoke?(D)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry(E)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(F)
when you see the naked, to clothe(G) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(H)

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(A)You adulterous people![a] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? (B)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 Or You adulteresses!

You adulterous(A) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(B) means enmity against God?(C) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.

12 because I (A)delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 (B)The blessing of him who was (C)about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused (D)the widow's heart to sing for joy.

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12 because I rescued the poor(A) who cried for help,
    and the fatherless(B) who had none to assist them.(C)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(D)
    I made the widow’s(E) heart sing.

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But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn (A)to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for (B)this is pleasing in the sight of God.

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But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents,(A) for this is pleasing to God.(B)

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Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

Aleph

119 [a] Blessed are those whose (A)way is blameless,
    who (B)walk in the law of the Lord!

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 119:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter

Psalm 119[a]

א Aleph

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,(A)
    who walk(B) according to the law of the Lord.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 119:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet; moreover, the verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

15 Did (A)not he who made me in the womb make him?
    And did not one fashion us in the womb?

16 “If I have (B)withheld anything that the poor desired,
    or have (C)caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
    and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless[a] grew up with me as with a father,
    and from my mother's womb I guided the widow[b]),
19 if I have seen anyone (D)perish for (E)lack of clothing,
    or the needy without (F)covering,
20 if his body has not (G)blessed me,[c]
    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

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Footnotes

  1. Job 31:18 Hebrew he
  2. Job 31:18 Hebrew her
  3. Job 31:20 Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me

15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(A)
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(B)

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(C)
    or let the eyes of the widow(D) grow weary,(E)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless(F)
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow(G)
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(H)
    or the needy(I) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(J)
    for warming them with the fleece(K) from my sheep,

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