Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord.

A Song of ^[a]Ascents.

Israel to Be Renewed for His Name’s Sake

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. ²³ I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. ²⁴ For I will ^[a]take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. ²⁶ Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My ordinances and do them. ²⁸ You will live in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you will be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will also save you from all your uncleanness, and I will call for the grain and make it abundant, and I will not bring famine on you. ³⁰ I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not suffer again the disgrace of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then you will remember [clearly] your [own] evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your sins and for your outrageous atrocities. ³² I am not doing this for your sake,” says the Lord God. “Let that be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated for your [wicked] ways, O house of Israel!”

^53 [a][And everyone went to his own house.

The Adulterous Woman

8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning He came back into the temple [court], and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began teaching them. ³ Now the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the center of the court, ⁴ and they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. ⁵ Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women [to death]. So what do You say [to do with her—what is Your sentence]?”^{(A) 6} They said this to test Him, hoping that they would have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and began writing on the ground with His finger. ⁷ However, when they persisted in questioning Him, He straightened up and said, “He who is without [any] sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”^{(B) 8} Then He stooped down again and started writing on the ground. ⁹ They listened [to His reply], and they began to go out one by one, starting with the oldest ones, until He was left alone, with the woman [standing there before Him] in the center of the court. ¹⁰ Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She answered, “No one, Lord!” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.”]