But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, "Why did you make me like this?"

How can you be sure, Christian wife, that you will not save your husband? Or how can you be sure, Christian husband, that you will not save your wife?

You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?

As for me, the LORD forbid that I should sin against him by no longer praying for you. Instead, I will teach you what is good and right for you to do.

At Mount Sinai you came down from heaven; you spoke to your people and gave them good laws and sound teachings.

But as for me, how wonderful to be near God, to find protection with the Sovereign LORD and to proclaim all that he has done!

So it is best for us to wait in patience---to wait for him to save us---

but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her."

Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us unfailing courage and a firm hope,

"Now, people of Israel, listen to what the LORD your God demands of you: Worship the LORD and do all that he commands. Love him, serve him with all your heart,

and obey all his laws. I am giving them to you today for your benefit.

I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised."

Samuel said, "Which does the LORD prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him.

Do what is right and fair; that pleases the LORD more than bringing him sacrifices.

After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.

Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil

The LORD says, "Now, let's settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool.

"The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.

"Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side.

if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.

(SEE 7:1)

"Change the way you are living and stop doing the things you are doing. Be fair in your treatment of one another.

I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.

So now, descendants of Jacob, trust in your God and return to him. Be loyal and just, and wait patiently for your God to act.

Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.

Turn to the LORD, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the LORD. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the LORD shows his anger.

Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins.

The ax is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

The teacher of the Law said to Jesus, "Well done, Teacher! It is true, as you say, that only the Lord is God and that there is no other god but he.

Jesus noticed how wise his answer was, and so he told him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." After this nobody dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

"How terrible for you Pharisees! You give to God one tenth of the seasoning herbs, such as mint and rue and all the other herbs, but you neglect justice and love for God. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.

For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people.

That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world,

For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge;

to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love.

At all times they give freely and lend to others, and their children are a blessing.

Light shines in the darkness for good people, for those who are merciful, kind, and just.

He gives generously to the needy, and his kindness never fails; he will be powerful and respected.

Good people die, and no one understands or even cares. But when they die, no calamity can hurt them.

Those who live good lives find peace and rest in death.

"Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!

So he called the servant in. 'You worthless slave!' he said. 'I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to.

The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount."

Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.

Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

To conclude: you must all have the same attitude and the same feelings; love one another, and be kind and humble with one another.

After that, Enoch lived in fellowship with God for 300 years and had other children.

and caused me to turn against them and send them into exile in the land of their enemies. At last, when your descendants are humbled and they have paid the penalty for their sin and rebellion,

Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem.

Finally, however, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves, and so the LORD did not punish the people until after Hezekiah's death.

In his suffering he became humble, turned to the LORD his God, and begged him for help.

God accepted Manasseh's prayer and answered it by letting him go back to Jerusalem and rule again. This convinced Manasseh that the LORD was God.

The king's prayer and God's answer to it, and an account of the sins he committed before he repented---the evil he did, the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah that he made and the idols that he worshiped---are all recorded in The History of the Prophets.

But unlike his father, he did not become humble and turn to the LORD; he was even more sinful than his father had been.

and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer,

"I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope.

I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.

I will forgive all the wrongs you have done, but you will remember them and be too ashamed to open your mouth." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.

"And now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honor, and glorify the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right and just, and he can humble anyone who acts proudly."

"Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, 'God, have pity on me, a sinner!'

Some people brought their babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. The disciples saw them and scolded them for doing so,

Remember this! Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

My friends, how I wish with all my heart that my own people might be saved! How I pray to God for them!

They have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God's way of putting people right.

But the grace that God gives is even stronger. As the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

In the same way you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble."

Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time.