But God says to the wicked:“ Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?

但神对恶人说：“你怎敢传说我的律例，口中提到我的约呢？

但上帝对恶人说：“你怎敢传讲我的律例，口中提到我的约呢？

但神对恶人说：“你怎敢传讲我的律例，口中提到我的约呢？

但上帝对恶人说：“你怎能背诵我的律法，谈论我的约？

但神对恶人说：“你怎么敢述说我的律例，你的口怎么敢提到我的约呢？

但神对恶人说：“你凭什么讲述我的律例，口中提起我的约呢？

但神對惡人說：你怎敢傳說我的律例，口中提到我的約呢？

但上帝對惡人說：「你怎敢傳講我的律例，口中提到我的約呢？

但神對惡人說：「你怎敢傳講我的律例，口中提到我的約呢？

但上帝對惡人說：「你怎能背誦我的律法，談論我的約？

但神對惡人說：“你怎麼敢述說我的律例，你的口怎麼敢提到我的約呢？

對惡人呢、上帝卻說：『你有甚麼權利可以背誦我的律例，口中提到我的約呢？

但神對惡人說：「你憑什麼講述我的律例，口中提起我的約呢？

上帝語惡人曰、爾奚稱道我律、口言我約、

上帝語惡人曰、爾何假我律例、藉予聖教、

天主向惡人曰、爾為何傳述我之律法、口講我之盟約、

主語作惡者。何事研玉律。口頭誦盟約。心中存乖逆。

But to the wicked person, God says:“ What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

But here is what God says to a sinful person.“ What right do you have to speak the words of my laws? How dare you speak the words of my covenant!

But to the wicked God says:“ What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?

But God says to the wicked:“ What right do you have to recite my statutes and to take my covenant on your lips?

But to the wicked God says,“ What right do you have to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

But to the wicked God says:“ What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,

But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth,

But God says to the wicked:“ What right do you have to recite My statutes and to take My covenant on your lips?

But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or[ that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

God says this to the evildoer:“ How can you declare my commands, and talk about my covenant?

But to the wicked God says,“ What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,

And so the Lord says,“ These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man made rules learned by rote.

But all they gave him was lip service; they lied to him with their tongues.Their hearts were not loyal to him. They did not keep his covenant.Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!

“ What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.“ I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

“ But there is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.

But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant,“ The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!”But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.

“ Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins!Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.‘ We have fasted before you!’ they say.‘ Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’“ I will tell you why!” I respond.“ It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?“ No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying,“ I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!”Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied,“ I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

I will examine you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant.I will purge you of all those who rebel and revolt against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives.

You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law.You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.No wonder the Scriptures say,“ The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

On judgment day many will say to me,‘ Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’But I will reply,‘ I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

“ Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and call on the God of Israel. You don’t keep your promises,even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.

“ And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?How can you think of saying to your friend,‘ Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.