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Gimel

17 Treat Your servant well, Lord,
    so that I may live and remain faithful to Your word.
18 Let me see clearly so that I may take in
    the amazing things coming from Your law.
19 I am a sojourner in the world;
    do not keep Your commands hidden from me.
20 My soul aches from craving
    Your wise rulings day and night.
21 You rebuke those who are proud,
    and those who stray from Your commands are cursed.
22 Free me from the contempt and disdain of others
    because I keep Your decrees.
23 Even though powerful princes conspire against me,
    I fix my mind on what You require.
24 Yes, Your testimonies are my joy;
    they are like the friends I seek for counsel.

Daleth

25 My very being clings to the dust;
    preserve my life, in keeping with Your word.
26 I have admitted my ways are wrong, and You responded;
    now help me learn what You require.
27 Compel me to grasp the way of Your statutes
    so I will fix my mind on Your wonderful works.
28 My soul weeps, and trouble weighs me down;
    give me strength so I can stand according to Your word.
29 Eliminate faithlessness You find in my step,
    be gracious, and give me Your guidance.
30 I have decided to take the path of faith;
    I have focused my eyes on Your regulations.
31 I cling to Your decrees; O Eternal One,
    do not let me face disgrace!
32 I will chase after Your commandments
    because You will expand my understanding.

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ג Gimel

17 Be good to your servant(A) while I live,
    that I may obey your word.(B)
18 Open my eyes that I may see
    wonderful things in your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;(C)
    do not hide your commands from me.
20 My soul is consumed(D) with longing
    for your laws(E) at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant,(F) who are accursed,(G)
    those who stray(H) from your commands.
22 Remove from me their scorn(I) and contempt,
    for I keep your statutes.(J)
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
    your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
    they are my counselors.

ד Daleth

25 I am laid low in the dust;(K)
    preserve my life(L) according to your word.(M)
26 I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
    teach me your decrees.(N)
27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
    that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.(O)
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;(P)
    strengthen me(Q) according to your word.(R)
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;(S)
    be gracious to me(T) and teach me your law.
30 I have chosen(U) the way of faithfulness;(V)
    I have set my heart(W) on your laws.
31 I hold fast(X) to your statutes, Lord;
    do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
    for you have broadened my understanding.

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13     When that time comes, beautiful young women and strong young men
        will fall from thirst.
14     And those who swear by the pagan idols of Samaria—
        who say “As your god lives, Dan!”
    Or “As your power lives, Beersheba!”—
        will all fall, never to rise again.

I looked and saw the Lord standing by the altar.

Eternal One: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations shake,
        and cut them off so the building crashes down upon the heads of all the people!
    I will kill with the sword any who survive.
        Not one of them will get away.
        Not one of them will escape.

    If they dig down to the land of the dead,
        My hand will find them and pull them back up.
    If they try to climb to heaven,
        I will bring them back down from there.
    If they try to hide on the summit and in the dense forests of Mount Carmel,
        I will track them down and capture them.
    If they try to disappear from sight in the depths of the sea,
        I will send a sea monster to bite and devour them.
    If they are taken captive by their enemies,
        I will command that they be killed by the sword in their exile,
    And I will fix My gaze upon them,
        not for their good, but for their harm.

13 “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men(A)
    will faint because of thirst.(B)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(C)
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(D)
    or, ‘As surely as the god[a] of Beersheba(E) lives’—
    they will fall,(F) never to rise again.(G)

Israel to Be Destroyed

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:

“Strike the tops of the pillars
    so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(H) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.(I)
Though they dig down to the depths below,(J)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(K)
    from there I will bring them down.(L)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(M)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(N)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(O)
    there I will command the serpent(P) to bite them.(Q)
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword(R) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
    for harm(S) and not for good.(T)(U)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way

The word “sin” has virtually disappeared from modern conversation. Afraid of sounding judgmental, we call sin something else—a mistake, an addiction, a tendency, a bad decision—and ignore it as normal and natural behavior. But John is calling the church to a radical holiness where those in the church will regularly remember their sins and seek God’s forgiveness. Each sin, small and large, injures us or someone else; it imprints on our soul, makes us imperfect, and separates us from the perfect God. If we confess our sins to God each day, then He will purify our hearts and draw us closer to Him.

You are my little children, so I am writing these things to help you avoid sin. If, however, any believer does sin, we have a high-powered defense lawyer—Jesus the Anointed, the righteous—arguing on our behalf before the Father. It was through His sacrificial death that our sins were atoned. But He did not stop there—He died for the sins of the whole world.

John is affectionately addressing this letter to his “little children,” and he is writing to help them avoid sin and the pain and guilt that come with it. The glamour of decadent lifestyles devoid of God is often advertised as the epitome of joy and freedom. But what are often conveniently left out of these portrayals are the agonizing consequences of such destructive lifestyles. Meaningful pleasure comes not when we are enslaved by the empty promises of the world, but when we are living in loving obedience to God.

We know we have joined Him in an intimate relationship because we live out His commands. If someone claims, “I am in an intimate relationship with Him,” but this big talker doesn’t live out His commands, then this individual is a liar and a stranger to the truth. But if someone responds to and obeys His word, then God’s love has truly taken root and filled him. This is how we know we are in an intimate relationship with Him: anyone who says, “I live in intimacy with Him,” should walk the path Jesus walked.

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My dear children,(A) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate(B) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,(C) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.(D)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

We know(E) that we have come to know him(F) if we keep his commands.(G) Whoever says, “I know him,”(H) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.(I) But if anyone obeys his word,(J) love for God[a] is truly made complete in them.(K) This is how we know(L) we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 2:5 Or word, God’s love