Suppose you call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law. You brag that you know God.

你称为犹太人，又倚靠律法，且指着神夸口；

但是你，你既自称为犹太人，倚靠律法，以上帝夸口，

但是你，你既自称为犹太人，倚靠律法，以神夸口，

你自称是犹太人，倚仗上帝所赐的律法，自夸与上帝有特别的关系；

你身为犹太人，倚靠律法，仗着神夸口，

你既然称为犹太人，依靠律法，以神夸耀；

你稱為猶太人，又倚靠律法，且指着神誇口；

但是你，你既自稱為猶太人，倚靠律法，以上帝誇口，

但是你，你既自稱為猶太人，倚靠律法，以神誇口，

你自稱是猶太人，倚仗上帝所賜的律法，自誇與上帝有特別的關係；

你身為猶太人，倚靠律法，仗著神誇口，

但是你呢、你既名為猶太人，既依靠着律法，並拿上帝來誇口；

你既然稱為猶太人，依靠律法，以神誇耀；

爾名為猶太人、以律自恃、以上帝自詡、

爾稱為猶太人、以律法是依、以識上帝為榮、

爾稱為猶太人、以律法是依、以天主為榮、為榮或作自誇

倘爾擁有猶太人之名、以法為恃、以天主為誇、

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God

You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.

Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law, and boast in God,

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God,

Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,

But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in God,

Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, boast in God,

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God

Indeed you bear the name of a Jew, rest on the law, glory in God,

Your judges take money from people who want special favors. Your priests teach only if they get paid for it. Your prophets won’t tell fortunes unless they receive money. But you still look for the Lord’ s help. You say,“ The Lord is with us. No trouble will come on us.”

You brag about the law. But when you break it, you rob God of his honor!

People of Jacob, listen to me. You are called by the name of Israel. You come from the family line of Judah. You make promises in the name of the Lord. You pray to Israel’s God. But you aren’t honest. You don’t mean what you say.You call yourselves citizens of the holy city of Jerusalem. You say you depend on Israel’s God. His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. He says,

“ Do not think I will bring charges against you in front of the Father. Moses is the one who does that. And he is the one you build your hopes on.

Don’t think you can say to yourselves,‘ Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones.

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.Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says,“ Your family line will continue through Isaac.”( Genesis 21:12)

But the Lord will save all the people of Israel. And so they will boast about the Lord.

Some people claim they are Jews but are not. They are liars. Their worship comes from Satan. I will make them come and fall down at your feet. I will make them say in public that I have loved you.

Then they began to attack him with their words.“ You are this fellow’s disciple!” they said.“ We are disciples of Moses!We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don’t even know where this fellow comes from.”

Why not? Because they tried to do it without faith. They tried to be right with God by what they did. They tripped over the stone that causes people to trip and fall.

But we have been truly circumcised. We serve God by the power of his Spirit. We boast about what Christ Jesus has done. We don’t put our trust in who we are or what we can do.I have many reasons to trust in who I am and what I have done. Someone else may think they have reasons to trust in these things. But I have even more.I was circumcised on the eighth day. I am part of the people of Israel. I am from the tribe of Benjamin. I am a pure Hebrew. As far as the law is concerned, I am a Pharisee.As far as being committed is concerned, I opposed and attacked the church. As far as keeping the law is concerned, I kept it perfectly.I thought things like that were really something great. But now I consider them to be nothing because of Christ.

Do not trust in lies. Do not say,‘ This is the temple of the Lord! This is the temple of the Lord! This is the temple of the Lord!’You must really change the way you live and act. Treat one another fairly.Do not treat outsiders or widows badly in this place. Do not take advantage of children whose fathers have died. Do not kill those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. Do not worship other gods. That will only bring harm to you.If you obey me, I will let you live in this place. It is the land I gave your people of long ago. It was promised to them for ever and ever.But look! You are trusting in worthless lies.“‘ “You continue to steal and commit murder. You commit adultery. You tell lies in court. You burn incense to Baal. You worship other gods you didn’t know before.Then you come and stand in front of me. You keep coming to this house where I have put my Name. You say,‘ We are safe.’ You think you are safe when you do so many things I hate.

‘ I know that you suffer and are poor. But you are rich! Some people say they are Jews but are not. I know that their words are evil. Their worship comes from Satan.

They answered him,“ We are Abraham’s children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?”

“ You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.“ Do that, and you will live.”

Jerusalem, you have done many wrong things to me. But at that time you will not be put to shame anymore. That’s because I will remove from this city those who think so highly of themselves. You will never be proud again on my holy mountain of Zion.

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west. They will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of heaven. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.But those who think they belong in the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness. There they will weep and grind their teeth.”

A person is not a Jew if they are a Jew only on the outside. And circumcision is more than just something done to the outside of a man’s body.No, a person is a Jew only if they are a Jew on the inside. And true circumcision means that the heart has been circumcised by the Holy Spirit. The person whose heart has been circumcised does more than obey the written law. The praise that matters for that kind of person does not come from other people. It comes from God.

Didn’t Moses give you the law? But not one of you obeys the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

You are doing what your own father does.”“ We have the right to claim to be God’s children,” they objected.“ The only Father we have is God himself.”

“ Here is what I command you to write to the church in Sardis. Here are the words of Jesus, who holds the seven spirits of God. He has the seven stars in his hand. He says,‘ I know what you are doing. People think you are alive, but you are dead.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Do they belong to the people of Israel? So do I. Are they Abraham’s children? So am I.

We are Jews by birth. We are not sinful Gentiles.

You who are not Jews by birth, here is what I want you to remember. You are called“ uncircumcised” by those who call themselves“ circumcised.” But they have only been circumcised in their bodies by human hands.

The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob to be his own. He has chosen Israel to be his special treasure.