You made Israel your very own people forever. Lord, you have become our God.

你使以色列人作你的子民，直到永远；你耶和华也作他们的神。

你使你的百姓以色列作你的子民，直到永远；你—耶和华也作他们的上帝。

你使你的百姓以色列作你的子民，直到永远；你—耶和华也作他们的神。

你让以色列人永远做你的子民，你耶和华做他们的上帝。

你使你的子民以色列永远作你的子民；耶和华啊，你也作了他们的神。

你使以色列人作你的子民，直到永遠；你－耶和華也作他們的神。

你使你的百姓以色列作你的子民，直到永遠；你－耶和華也作他們的上帝。

你使你的百姓以色列作你的子民，直到永遠；你－耶和華也作他們的神。

你讓以色列人永遠做你的子民，你耶和華做他們的上帝。

你使你的子民以色列永遠作你的子民；耶和華啊，你也作了他們的神。

而你卻使你人民以色列做你自己的子民到永遠；而且你、永恆主啊、你又作了他們的上帝。

爾立以色列民永為爾民、爾耶和華為其上帝、

耶和華歟、爾簡以色列族、以為爾民、爾為其上帝、恆久不已。

主使主之民以色列、為主之民至於永遠、主亦為其天主、

You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

And you made your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.

You chose Israel to be your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.

You made your people Israel your own people forever, and you, LORD, have become their God.

For You have made Your people Israel Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.

For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God.

You made Your people Israel Your own people forever, and You, Lord, have become their God.

For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.

You made Israel your very own nation for all time. You, O LORD, became their God.

For you made your people Israel your own people forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God.

Now obey me completely. Keep my covenant. If you do, then out of all the nations you will be my special treasure. The whole earth is mine.But you will be a kingdom of priests to serve me. You will be my holy nation.’ That is what you must tell the Israelites.”

But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

But the Lord will be true to his great name. He won’t turn his back on his people. That’s because he was pleased to make you his own people.

“ The days are coming,” announces the Lord.“ I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel. I will also make it with the people of Judah.It will not be like the covenant I made with their people of long ago. That was when I took them by the hand. I led them out of Egypt. But they broke my covenant. They did it even though I was like a husband to them,” announces the Lord.“ This is the covenant I will make with Israel after that time,” announces the Lord.“ I will put my law in their minds. I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God. And they will be my people.They will not need to teach their neighbor anymore. And they will not need to teach one another anymore. They will not need to say,‘ Know the Lord.’ That’s because everyone will know me. From the least important of them to the most important, all of them will know me,” announces the Lord.“ I will forgive their evil ways. I will not remember their sins anymore.”

So here is what I ask. Did God turn his back on his people? Not at all! I myself belong to Israel. I am one of Abraham’s children. I am from the tribe of Benjamin.God didn’t turn his back on his people. After all, he chose them. Don’t you know what Scripture says about Elijah? He complained to God about Israel.He said,“ Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have torn down your altars. I’m the only one left. And they are trying to kill me.”( 1 Kings 19:10, 14)How did God answer him? God said,“ I have kept 7,000 people for myself. They have not bowed down to Baal.”( 1 Kings 19:18)Some are also faithful today. They have been chosen by God’s grace.And if they are chosen by grace, then they can’t work for it. If that were true, grace wouldn’t be grace anymore.What should we say then? The people of Israel did not receive what they wanted so badly. Those Israelites who were chosen did receive it. But the rest of the people were made stubborn.It is written,“ God made it hard for them to understand. He gave them eyes that could not see. He gave them ears that could not hear. And they are still like that today.”( Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10)David says,“ Let their feast be a trap and a snare. Let them trip and fall. Let them get what’s coming to them.Let their eyes grow dark so they can’t see. Let their backs be bent forever.”( Psalm 69:22, 23)Again, here is what I ask. The Israelites didn’t trip and fall once and for all time, did they? Not at all! Because Israel sinned, the Gentiles can be saved. That will make Israel jealous of them.Israel’s sin brought riches to the world. Their loss brings riches to the Gentiles. So then what greater riches will come when all Israel turns to God!

God says in Hosea,“ I will call those who are not my people‘ my people.’ I will call the one who is not my loved one‘ my loved one.’ ”( Hosea 2:23)He also says,“ Once it was said to them,‘ You are not my people.’ In that very place they will be called‘ children of the living God.’ ”( Hosea 1:10)

I will put this third in the fire. I will make them as pure as silver. I will test them like gold. They will call out to me. And I will answer them. I will say,‘ They are my people.’ And they will say,‘ The Lord is our God.’ ”

I will make my covenant with you last forever. It will be between me and you and your family after you for all time to come. I will be your God. And I will be the God of all your family after you.

Today the Lord has announced that you are his people. He has said that you are his special treasure. He promised that you would be. He has told you to keep all his commands.He has announced that he will make you famous. He’ll give you more praise and honor than all the other nations he has made. And he has said that you will be a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. That’s exactly what he promised to do.

You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth to be his people.The Lord chose you because he loved you very much. He didn’t choose you because you had more people than other nations. In fact, you had the smallest number of all.The Lord chose you because he loved you. He wanted to keep the promise he had made to your people of long ago. That’s why he used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt. He bought you back from the land where you were slaves. He set you free from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises.The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel.