If you will seek God
    and (A)plead with the Almighty for mercy,

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But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead(A) with the Almighty,(B)

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Submit yourselves therefore to God. (A)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (B)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (C)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and (D)purify your hearts, (E)you double-minded. (F)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 (G)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

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Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(A) and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.(B) Wash your hands,(C) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(D) you double-minded.(E) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(F) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(G)

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A Rest for the People of God

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

(A)“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
    on the day of testing in the wilderness,

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Warning Against Unbelief

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(A)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(B)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,

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13 “If you (A)prepare your heart,
    you will (B)stretch out your hands toward him.

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13 “Yet if you devote your heart(A) to him
    and stretch out your hands(B) to him,(C)

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(A)“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

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Seek(A) the Lord while he may be found;(B)
    call(C) on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake(D) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.(E)
Let them turn(F) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(G) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(H)

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Ask, and It Will Be Given

(A)“Ask, (B)and it will be given to you; (C)seek, and you will find; (D)knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

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Ask, Seek, Knock(A)

“Ask and it will be given to you;(B) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;(C) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

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12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God (A)and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and (B)God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. (C)Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

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12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled(A) himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

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21 (A)“Agree with God, and (B)be at peace;
    thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from (C)his mouth,
    and (D)lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you (E)return to the Almighty you will be (F)built up;
    if you (G)remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in (H)the dust,
    and gold of (I)Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
    and your precious silver.
26 For then you (J)will delight yourself in the Almighty
    and (K)lift up your face to God.
27 You will (L)make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
    and you will (M)pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
    and (N)light will shine on your ways.
29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;[a]
    but he saves (O)the lowly.
30 He (P)delivers even the one who is not innocent,
    who will be delivered through (Q)the cleanness of your hands.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 22:29 Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’

21 “Submit to God and be at peace(A) with him;(B)
    in this way prosperity will come to you.(C)
22 Accept instruction from his mouth(D)
    and lay up his words(E) in your heart.(F)
23 If you return(G) to the Almighty, you will be restored:(H)
    If you remove wickedness far from your tent(I)
24 and assign your nuggets(J) to the dust,
    your gold(K) of Ophir(L) to the rocks in the ravines,(M)
25 then the Almighty will be your gold,(N)
    the choicest silver for you.(O)
26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty(P)
    and will lift up your face(Q) to God.(R)
27 You will pray to him,(S) and he will hear you,(T)
    and you will fulfill your vows.(U)
28 What you decide on will be done,(V)
    and light(W) will shine on your ways.(X)
29 When people are brought low(Y) and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
    then he will save the downcast.(Z)
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,(AA)
    who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”(AB)

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“As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God would I commit my cause,

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“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.(A)

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