Repentance and Forgiveness

¹h“And iwhen all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and jyou call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, ²and kreturn to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, ³then the Lord your God lwill restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will mgather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. ⁴nIf your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. ⁵And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. oAnd he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. ⁶And pthe Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, qso that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. ⁷And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. ⁸And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. ⁹rThe Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. sFor the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, ¹⁰when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Choice of Life and Death

¹¹“For this commandment that I command you today tis not too hard for you, neither is it far off. ¹²uIt is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹³Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹⁴But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

¹⁵“See, vI have set before you today life and good, death and evil. ¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God1 that I command you today, wby loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules,2 then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. ¹⁷But if xyour heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸yI declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, zblessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, ²⁰loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice aand holding fast to him, for bhe is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in cthe land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Yodh

⁷³lYour hands have made and fashioned me;

mgive me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

⁷⁴Those who fear you shall see me and nrejoice,

because I have ohoped in your word.

⁷⁵I know, O Lord, that your rules are prighteous,

and that in qfaithfulness you have afflicted me.

⁷⁶Let your steadfast love comfort me

according to your promise to your servant.

⁷⁷Let your rmercy come to me, that I may live;

for your law is my sdelight.

⁷⁸Let tthe insolent be put to ushame,

because they have vwronged me with falsehood;

as for me, I will wmeditate on your precepts.

⁷⁹Let those who fear you xturn to me,

that they may know your testimonies.

⁸⁰May my heart be yblameless in your statutes,

zthat I may not be put to shame!

Kaph

⁸¹My soul alongs for your salvation;

I bhope in your word.

⁸²My ceyes long for your promise;

I ask, d“When will you comfort me?”

⁸³For I have ebecome like a fwineskin in the smoke,

yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

⁸⁴gHow long must your servant endure?7

hWhen will you judge those who persecute me?

⁸⁵iThe insolent have jdug pitfalls for me;

they do not live according to your law.

⁸⁶All your commandments are ksure;

they persecute me lwith falsehood; mhelp me!

⁸⁷They have almost made an end of me on earth,

but I have not forsaken your precepts.

⁸⁸In your steadfast love ngive me life,

that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

Lamedh

⁸⁹Forever, O Lord, your oword

is firmly fixed in the heavens.

⁹⁰Your pfaithfulness endures to all generations;

you have qestablished the earth, and it rstands fast.

⁹¹By your sappointment they stand this day,

for all things are your servants.

⁹²If your law had not been my tdelight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

⁹³I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have ugiven me life.

⁹⁴I am yours; save me,

vfor I have sought your precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,

but I consider your testimonies.

⁹⁶I have seen a limit to all perfection,

but your commandment is exceedingly wbroad.

Israel's Futile Idolatry

¹The righteous man perishes,

and no one lays it to heart;

rdevout men are taken away,

while no one understands.

For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;

²she enters into peace;

they rest tin their beds

who walk in their uprightness.

³But you, draw near,

sons of the sorceress,

uoffspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.

⁴Whom are you mocking?

Against whom vdo you open your mouth wide

and stick out your tongue?

Are you not children of wtransgression,

xthe offspring of deceit,

⁵you who burn with lust among ythe oaks,1

under every green tree,

zwho slaughter your children in the valleys,

under the clefts of the rocks?

⁶Among the smooth stones of athe valley is your portion;

they, they, are your lot;

to them you have poured out a drink offering,

you have brought a grain offering.

Shall I relent for these things?

⁷bOn a high and lofty mountain

you have set your bed,

and there you went up to offer sacrifice.

⁸Behind the door and the doorpost

you have set up your memorial;

for, deserting me, cyou have uncovered your bed,

you have gone up to it,

dyou have made it wide;

and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,

you have loved their bed,

you have looked on nakedness.2

⁹You journeyed to the king with oil

and multiplied your perfumes;

eyou sent your envoys far off,

and sent down even to Sheol.

¹⁰You were wearied with the length of your way,

fbut you did not say, “It is hopeless”;

you found new life for your strength,

and so you were not faint.3

¹¹gWhom did you dread and fear,

hso that you lied,

and did not remember me,

did not lay it to heart?

iHave I not held my peace, even for a long time,

and you do not fear me?

¹²I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,

but they will not profit you.

¹³jWhen you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!

The wind will carry them all off,

a breath will take them away.

kBut he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land

and shall inherit lmy holy mountain.

Comfort for the Contrite

¹⁴And it shall be said,

m“Build up, build up, prepare the way,

remove every obstruction from my people's way.”

¹⁵For thus says nthe One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is oHoly:

p“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also qwith him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

rto revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.

¹⁶sFor I will not contend forever,

nor will I always be angry;

for the spirit would grow faint before me,

and the breath of life that I made.

¹⁷Because of the iniquity of his tunjust gain I was angry,

I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,

but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.

¹⁸I have seen his ways, ubut I will heal him;

I will lead him vand restore comfort to him and his mourners,

¹⁹wcreating xthe fruit of the lips.

yPeace, peace, zto the far and to the near,” says the Lord,

u“and I will heal him.

²⁰aBut the wicked are like the tossing sea;

for it cannot be quiet,

and its waters toss up mire and dirt.

²¹bThere is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

The Sermon on the Mount

¹Seeing the crowds, ohe went up on the mountain, and when he psat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

²And qhe opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³r“Blessed are sthe poor in spirit, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴“Blessed are vthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵“Blessed are the wmeek, for they wshall inherit the earth.

⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷“Blessed are zthe merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸“Blessed are athe pure in heart, for bthey shall see God.

⁹“Blessed are cthe peacemakers, for dthey shall be called esons1 of God.

¹⁰f“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹g“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely hon my account. ¹²iRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for jso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth, kbut if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

¹⁴l“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵mNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so nthat2 they may see your good works and ogive glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

¹⁷p“Do not think that I have come to abolish qthe Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but rto fulfill them. ¹⁸For truly, I say to you, suntil heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹tTherefore whoever relaxes uone of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least vin the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great vin the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds wthat of the scribes and Pharisees, you xwill never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

²¹y“You have heard that it was said to those of old, z‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ato judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that beveryone who is angry with his brother3 will be liable ato judgment; whoever insults4 his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to cthe hell5 of fire. ²³dSo if eyou are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵fCome to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶Truly, I say to you, gyou will never get out until you have paid the last penny.6

Lust

²⁷h“You have heard that it was said, i‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that jeveryone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹kIf your right eye lcauses you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into mhell. ³⁰kAnd if your right hand lcauses you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into mhell.

Divorce

³¹h“It was also said, n‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²oBut I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and pwhoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³“Again hyou have heard that it was said to those of old, q‘You shall not swear falsely, but rshall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴But I say to you, sDo not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for tit is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is uthe city of the great King. ³⁶And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; vanything more than this comes from evil.7

Retaliation

³⁸h“You have heard that it was said, y‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say to you, zDo not resist the one who is evil. But aif anyone bslaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰And zif anyone would sue you and take your tunic,8 let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹And if anyone cforces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴²dGive to the one who begs from you, and edo not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

⁴³f“You have heard that it was said, g‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, iLove your enemies and jpray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵kso that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and lsends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶mFor if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers,9 what more are you doing than others? Do not even nthe Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸oYou therefore must be pperfect, qas your heavenly Father is perfect.