15 wI will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and xin their distress earnestly seek me.
Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant
1 “Come, let us yreturn to the Lord;
for zhe has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and ahe will bind us up.
2 After two days bhe will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 cLet us know; clet us press on to know the Lord;
dhis going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us eas the showers,
fas the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, gO hEphraim?
What shall I do with you, O hJudah?
Your love is ilike a morning cloud,
ilike the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them jby the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For kI desire steadfast love1 and not sacrifice,
lthe knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Teth
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, zaccording to your word.
66 Teach me agood judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 bBefore I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 cYou are good and do good;
dteach me your statutes.
69 eThe insolent fsmear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I gkeep your precepts;
70 their heart is unfeeling hlike fat,
but I idelight in your law.
71 It is jgood for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72 kThe law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
The Promise Realized Through Faith
13 For ethe promise to Abraham and his offspring fthat he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 gFor if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For hthe law brings wrath, but iwhere there is no law jthere is no transgression.
16 That is why it depends on faith, kin order that the promise may rest on grace and lbe guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, mwho is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, n“I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, owho gives life to the dead and calls into existence pthe things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, q“So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was ras good as dead (ssince he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered tthe barrenness1 of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that uGod was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But vthe words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us wwho believe in xhim who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 ywho was delivered up for our trespasses and raised zfor our justification.
Jesus Calls Matthew
9 eAs Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called fMatthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus1 reclined at table in the house, behold, many gtax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, h“Why does your teacher eat with gtax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn iwhat this means: j‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For kI came not to call the righteous, lbut sinners.”
