¹⁸ He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.^[a]

⁴ They have kept themselves as pure as virgins,^[a] following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering^[b] to God and to the Lamb.

⁶ For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. ⁶ And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

¹⁶ And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

⁸ After a period of glory, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me^[a] against the nations who plundered you. For he said, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession.^[b]

A Message for Israel’s Neighbors

¹⁴ Now this is what the Lord says: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them.