⁴ “Remember the law^(A) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb^(B) for all Israel.^(C)

¹⁰ Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb,^(A) when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn^(B) to revere^(C) me as long as they live in the land^(D) and may teach^(E) them to their children.”

⁹ But if you show favoritism,^(A) you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.^{(B) 10} For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles^(C) at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.^{(D) 11} For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”^[a](E) also said, “You shall not murder.”^[b](F) If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

¹² Speak and act as those who are going to be judged^(G) by the law that gives freedom,^{(H) 13} because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.^(I) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Life by the Spirit

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.^(A) But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a];^(B) rather, serve one another^(C) humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b](D)

³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses^(A) and the Prophets;^(B) let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’^(C) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh^(A) with its passions and desires.^{(B) 25} Since we live by the Spirit,^(C) let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan^(A)

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^(B)

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a];^(C) and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”^(D)

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”^(E)

The Greatest Commandment^(A)

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law^(B) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[a] 30} Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[b](C) 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c](D) There is no commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.^{(E) 33} To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(F)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(G) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.^(H)