You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become[a] impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good(A)
    to the one whose ways are upright?(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord

11 For the Lord God is a sun(A) and shield;(B)
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold(C)
    from those whose walk is blameless.

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The one whose walk is blameless,(A)
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth(B) from their heart;

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16 When your words came, I ate(A) them;
    they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(B)
for I bear your name,(C)
    Lord God Almighty.

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When I came, why was there no one?
    When I called, why was there no one to answer?(A)
Was my arm too short(B) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength(C) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(D) I dry up the sea,(E)
    I turn rivers into a desert;(F)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.

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having a form of godliness(A) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.(B)

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12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.

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God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word(A) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(B) Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a](C) In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(D) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(E) For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[b](F)

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.(G) 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad(H)—in order that God’s purpose(I) in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[c](J) 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[d](K)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
  2. Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
  3. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
  4. Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good(A) to bring about my death,(B) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

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28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly,(A) nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.(B) 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart,(C) by the Spirit,(D) not by the written code.(E) Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.(F)

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39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,”(A) said Jesus, “then you would[a] do what Abraham did.

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Footnotes

  1. John 8:39 Some early manuscripts “If you are Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(A)

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So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:(A) ‘Not(B) by might nor by power,(C) but by my Spirit,’(D) says the Lord Almighty.

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Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(A)

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Who is wise?(A) Let them realize these things.
    Who is discerning? Let them understand.(B)
The ways of the Lord are right;(C)
    the righteous walk(D) in them,
    but the rebellious stumble in them.

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Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
    all you clans of Israel.

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Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)

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True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,(A) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.(B)
Declare to my people their rebellion(C)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(D)

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Stubborn Israel

48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel(A)
    and come from the line of Judah,(B)
you who take oaths(C) in the name of the Lord(D)
    and invoke(E) the God of Israel—
    but not in truth(F) or righteousness—
you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(G)
    and claim to rely(H) on the God of Israel—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:(I)

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18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe,(A)
    but the one whose ways are perverse will fall(B) into the pit.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:18 Syriac (see Septuagint); Hebrew into one

Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,
    but those who despise him are devious in their ways.

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29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.(A)

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Whoever walks in integrity(A) walks securely,(B)
    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.(C)

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He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield(A) to those whose walk is blameless,(B)

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99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
    for I meditate on your statutes.(A)
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
    for I obey your precepts.(B)
101 I have kept my feet(C) from every evil path
    so that I might obey your word.(D)
102 I have not departed from your laws,(E)
    for you yourself have taught(F) me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey(G) to my mouth!(H)

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