²⁸ He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God^(A) and obey it.”^(B)

⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice,^(A) I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

Psalm 112^[a]

²¹ He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”^(A)

²¹ Therefore, get rid of^(A) all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,^(B) which can save you.

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.^{(C) 23} Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,^(D) and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.^(E)

¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.^(A)

BOOK I

Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1

²¹ Dear friends,^(A) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God^{(B) 22} and receive from him anything we ask,^(C) because we keep his commands^(D) and do what pleases him.^{(E) 23} And this is his command: to believe^(F) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,^(G) and to love one another as he commanded us.^{(H) 24} The one who keeps God’s commands^(I) lives in him,^(J) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.^(K)