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Sunday, 19 November 2023
Malachi Chapter 2 American Standard Version.
2.1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. 2If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith JEHOVAH of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. 3Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away with it. 4And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant may be with Levi, saith JEHOVAH of hosts. 5My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name. 6The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. 7For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of JEHOVAH of hosts. 8But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith JEHOVAH of hosts. 9Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have had respect of persons in the law.
10Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of JEHOVAH which he loveth, and hath married the daughter of a foreign god. 12JEHOVAH will cut off, to the man that doeth this, him that waketh and him that answereth, out of the tents of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto JEHOVAH of hosts.
13And this again ye do: ye cover the altar of JEHOVAH with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, neither receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because JEHOVAH hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16For I hate putting away, saith JEHOVAH, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith JEHOVAH of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
17Ye have wearied JEHOVAH with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of JEHOVAH and he delighteth in them; or where is the God of justice?
Romans Chapter 4 the Bible in Living English
Then what shall we say that Abraham, our forefather in the way of flesh, had found? 2* For if Abraham was justified as the outcome of deeds, he does have something to boast of. But not to God, 3 for what does the text say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was counted righteousness for him.” 4 But one who works does not have the pay counted to him in the way of grace but of debt; 5 but one who does not work but puts faith in him who justifies an impious man has his faith counted for righteousness, 6 in the same way as David tells of the happy state of the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Happy they whose wickednesses are forgiven and whose sins are covered up; 8 happy a man for whom the Lord does not count sin.” 9 Is this happy state, then, pronounced upon circumcision, or upon uncircumcision too? for we are saying “Faith was counted righteousness for Abraham.” 10 How was it counted then, when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision but in uncircumcision; 11 and he got the token of circumcision as a seal of his righteousness of faith in uncircumcision, so that he should be father of all who believe while uncircumcised so that righteousness should be counted to them, 12 and father of circumcision for those who are not of circumcision only but who also walk in the tracks of the faith our father Abraham had during uncircumcision. 13 For it is not through the law that there is the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, that he is to be heir of the world, but through righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are on the basis of law are heirs, faith is nullified and the promise is superseded; 15 for the law evolves anger, and where there is not law there is not violation either. 16 Hence, on the basis of faith in order to be in the way of grace, so that the promise may be securely settled to all the descendants, not only the line which is based on the law but also that which is based on Abraham’s faith, his who is father of all of us 17 (as it is written “I have made you father of many nations”) before the God whom he believed, him who brings the dead to life and calls what does not exist as though it did; 18* his who in a hopeless case had the hopefulness to believe, so as to become father of many nations in accordance with what it says, “Such shall your descendants be,” 19* and did not weaken in faith as he observed his own body gone dead, he being a hundred years or so old, and the deadening of Sarah’s womb; 20 but he did not unbelievingly doubt at God’s promise, but had his faith invigorated, giving glory to God 21* and feeling convinced that what he has promised he is able to go on and do; 22 which is why it was counted for righteousness to him. 23 And it was not written on his account only that it was counted to him, 24 but on ours too, to whom it is going to be counted, us who believe on the one that raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, 25 who was handed over to death on account of our offenses and was raised on account of our justification.