Circumcise Your Heart
12 “And now, Israel, mwhat does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today nfor your good? 14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the oheaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his heart in plove on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 qCircumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer rstubborn. 17 For the Lord your God is sGod of gods and tLord of lords, the ugreat, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is vnot partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the wfatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 xLove the sojourner, therefore, for yyou were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and zhold fast to him, and aby his name you shall swear. 21 bHe is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt cseventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you das numerous as the stars of heaven.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of ddisobedience. 12 For the word of God is eliving and factive, gsharper than any two-edged hsword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And ino creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must jgive account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Since then we have a great khigh priest who has passed lthrough the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us mhold fast our nconfession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our oweaknesses, but one who pin every respect has been qtempted as we are, yet rwithout sin. 16 Let us then with sconfidence tdraw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was hbaptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for iJohn had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you jbore witness—look, he is baptizing, and kall are going to him.” 27 John answered, l“A person cannot receive even one thing munless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, nthat I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been osent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the pbridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore qthis joy of mine is now complete. 30 rHe must increase, but I must decrease.”1
31 He who comes sfrom above is tabove all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and uspeaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his vseal to this, that God is wtrue. 34 For he whom God has sent xutters the words of God, for yhe gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father zloves the Son and has given aall things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
