Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless; be good to me, as you have promised.

I gain wisdom from your laws, and so I hate all bad conduct.

And so I follow all your instructions; I hate all wrong ways.

I hate and detest all lies, but I love your law.

LORD, place a guard at my mouth, a sentry at the door of my lips.

Keep me from wanting to do wrong and from joining evil people in their wickedness. May I never take part in their feasts.

keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need.

It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.

LORD, you are the one who protects me and gives me strength; you help me in times of trouble. Nations will come to you from the ends of the earth and say, "Our ancestors had nothing but false gods, nothing but useless idols.

Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you.

So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to---the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires.

and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us.

If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.

But outside the city are the perverts and those who practice magic, the immoral and the murderers, those who worship idols and those who are liars both in words and deeds.

How I hope that I shall be faithful in keeping your instructions!

The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the LORD, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the LORD, have spoken."

Now, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel in the days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

None of them will have to teach their friends or tell their neighbors, 'Know the Lord.' For they will all know me, from the least to the greatest.