The Great Commandment

^28 (A)And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ^(B)‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, ^(C)the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ^31 (D)The second is this: ^(E)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment ^(F)greater than these.”

^12 (A)Put on then, as ^(B)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(C)compassionate hearts, ^(D)kindness, ^(E)humility, meekness, and patience, ^13 (F)bearing with one another and, ^(G)if one has a complaint against another, ^(H)forgiving each other; ^(I)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on ^(J)love, which ^(K)binds everything together in ^(L)perfect harmony.

⁹ “Blessed are ^(A)the peacemakers, for ^(B)they shall be called ^(C)sons^[a] of God.

^10 (D)“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for ^(E)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^11 (F)“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^(G)on my account. ^12 (H)Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^(I)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.