And Samuel said: Has Jehovah as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in to obey the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

Hear, My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God.

I will take no bull out of your house, nor goats out of your folds;

I know all the birds of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

Will I eat the flesh of the mighty, or drink the blood of goats?

and call on Me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

What good to Me are your many sacrifices, says Jehovah? I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of well-fed cattle; nor do I delight in the blood of bulls, of lambs, or he goats.

Bring no more vain sacrifices; its incense is an abomination to Me. I cannot endure the new moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies, and the wicked festivals.

And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you. Even though you multiply prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

They say, Why have we fasted, and You do not see? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice? Behold, in the day of your fast you devise pleasures, and oppress all your laborers.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast and a day pleasing to Jehovah?

For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not pleasing, nor are your sacrifices sweet to Me.

I hate, I despise your feast days; and I will not savor your solemn assemblies.

Take away from Me the noise of your songs; for I will not hear the melody of your lutes.

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat do we excel, nor if we do not eat are we lacking.

Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle;

These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-devised worship, false humility, and severity in abuse of the body, but are of no value against gratification of the flesh.

Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

It was a comparison for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience;

concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time when things were set right.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Can a man be of use to the Mighty God, as he who is wise may be profitable to himself?

This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those believing in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

And it shall come to pass, if you take heed to obey the voice of Jehovah your God, to take heed to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that Jehovah your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.

Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Jehovah shall cause your enemies who rise against you to be stricken before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

Jehovah will establish you as a holy people unto Himself, as He has sworn unto you, if you keep the commandments of Jehovah your God and have walked in His ways.

And Jehovah will make you exceed in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land of which Jehovah has sworn to your fathers to give to you.

And Jehovah will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I am commanding you today, and take heed to do them.

He will deliver you in six troubles; yea, in seven no evil shall touch you:

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you shall not be afraid of devastation when it comes.

For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

You shall also know that your seed shall be many, and your offspring like the grass of the earth.

Trust in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in Jehovah, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

A little that the righteous has is better than the riches of many wicked.

Jehovah knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.

For Jehovah God is a sun and shield; Jehovah will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk in integrity.

no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.

Praise YAH! Blessed is the man who fears Jehovah, who delights greatly in His Commandments.

Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness stands forever.

i1 [A Song of Ascents.] i0 par Blessed is everyone who fears Jehovah, who walks in His ways.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine inside your house, your children like olive plants around your table.

Jehovah bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

Length of days is in her right hand, riches and honor in her left hand.

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold upon her, and happy is everyone who holds fast to her.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

Say to the righteous that it is well; for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings.

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the service of righteousness shall be quietness and assurance forever.

And my people shall dwell in a peaceful habitation, and in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places,

he shall dwell on high; his refuge shall be the strongholds of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah, Behold, My servants will eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you shall be ashamed.

Behold, My servants will sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl because of a crushed spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are you when they shall revile and persecute you, and shall say every evil word against you falsely because of Me.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.

And he answered and said to Him, Teacher, all these things I have observed from my youth.

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be conveyed to you.

Do not fear, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come; all are yours.

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the full true knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And this is the promise that He has promised us: Eternal Life.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall never go out any more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God; and My new name.

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.