18 Who is a God like You, who forgives wickedness

And passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession?

He does not retain His anger forever,

Because He [constantly] delights in mercy and lovingkindness.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt

And cleanse me from my sin.

6 Remember, O Lord, Your [tender] compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,

For they have been from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

According to Your lovingkindness remember me,

For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

1 Out of the *depths [of distress] I have cried to You, O Lord.

2 Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

11 Do not withhold Your compassion and tender mercy from me, O Lord;

Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

13 Just as a father loves his children,

So the Lord loves those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].

15 But the free gift [of God] is not like the trespass [because the gift of grace overwhelms the fall of man]. For if many died by one man’s trespass [Adam’s sin], much more [abundantly] did God’s grace and the gift [that comes] by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to [benefit] the many.

15 What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God’s] grace? Certainly not!

4 But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). [Rom 6:1-10]

9 but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But whoever confesses and *turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy. [Ps 32:3, 5; 1 John 1:8-10]

7 Let the wicked leave (behind) his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion (mercy) on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

18 Therefore the Lord waits [expectantly] and longs to be gracious to you,

And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.

*For the Lord is a God of justice;

Blessed (happy, fortunate) are all those who long for Him [since He will never fail them]. [John 14:3, 27; 2 Cor 12:9; Heb 12:2; 1 John 3:16; Rev 3:5]

13 Go and learn what this [Scripture] means: ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness]." [Hos 6:6; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32]

21 Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.

14 For if you forgive *others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

31 "Yet in Your great compassion You did not utterly destroy them or abandon them,

For You are a gracious and merciful God.

5 It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;

He conducts his affairs with justice. [Ps 37:26; Luke 6:35; Col 4:5]

17 And let the [gracious] favor of the Lord our God be on us;

Confirm for us the work of our hands—

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

1 *Therefore I urge you, *brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.

16 "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] *only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

29 For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake, not only to believe and confidently trust in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

1 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and to Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast to the Lord God of Israel. 2 For the king and his officials and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the *second month, [Num 9:10, 11] 3 since they could not celebrate it at that time because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people assembled at Jerusalem. 4 Thus the [decision to set a] new time pleased the king and the entire assembly. 5 So they decided to circulate a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people were to come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel, at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was prescribed [for a long time]. 6 So the runners went throughout Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his officials, in accordance with the command of the king, saying, "O sons (descendants) of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), so that He will return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand (power) of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror (lifeless, desolate), just as you see. 8 Now do not stiffen your neck [becoming obstinate] like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and come to His sanctuary which He has sanctified and set apart forever, and serve the Lord your God, so that His burning anger will turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers (relatives) and your children will find compassion in the presence of those who led them away captive and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."

10 So the runners (couriers) passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but the people laughed at them with scorn and mocked them. 11 Yet some of the men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them one heart to do that which the king and the officials had commanded by the word of the Lord.

13 Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month; it was a very large assembly. 14 They took action and removed the [pagan] altars which were in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Brook Kidron [the dumping place for the ashes of such repulsive things]. 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 16 They stood at their accustomed stations, in accordance with the Law of Moses, the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood [which they received] from the hand of the Levites [on the altar]. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves [that is, become ceremonially clean and free from all sin]; so the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, in order to make them holy for the Lord. 18 For the majority of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, and yet they ate the Passover contrary to what had been prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Lord pardon 19 everyone who sets his heart to seek God—the Lord God of his fathers—even though it is not in accordance with the [ceremonial] purification [rules] of the sanctuary." 20 So the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people [of their uncleanness]. 21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests praised the Lord day after day, singing to the Lord with loud instruments. 22 Hezekiah spoke *encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good understanding in the things of the Lord. So the people ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate [the feast] for another seven days; and they celebrated it another seven days with joy. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the officials gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And a large number of priests consecrated themselves [for service]. 25 All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners (resident aliens, foreigners) who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. 27 Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

1 That is to say, "If a man divorces his wife

And she goes [away] from him

And becomes another man’s [wife],

Will he return to her again? [Of course not!]

Will not that land [where such a thing happened] be completely desecrated?

But you [rebelled against Me and you] are a prostitute with many lovers;

Yet you turn to Me." says the Lord.

2 "Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see;

Where have you not been violated?

You sat by the road waiting [eagerly] for them [those man-made gods]

Like an Arab [tribesman who waits to attack] in the desert,

And you have desecrated the land

With your [vile] prostitution and your wickedness (disobedience to God).

3 "Therefore the showers have been withheld,

And there has been no spring rain.

Yet you have the forehead (appearance) of a prostitute;

You refuse to be ashamed.

4 "Will you not just now call out to Me,

‘My Father, you were the guide and companion of my youth?

5 ‘Will He be angry forever?

Will He be indignant to the end?’

Behold, you have spoken,

And you have done all the evil things [you could],

And you have had your way and have carried out your wickedness."

6 Moreover, the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king [of Judah], "Have you seen what that faithless Israel has done—how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she was a prostitute? 7 I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous (faithless) sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw [that even though Judah knew] that for all the acts of adultery (idolatry) of faithless Israel, I [the Lord] had *sent her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet her treacherous sister *Judah was not afraid; but she went and was a prostitute also [following after idols]. 9 Because of the thoughtlessness of Israel’s prostitution [her immorality mattered little to her], she desecrated the land and committed adultery with [idols of] stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with her whole heart, but rather in [blatant] deception [she merely pretended obedience to King Josiah’s reforms]," declares the Lord. [2 Chr 34:33; Hos 7:13, 14]

11 And the Lord said to me, "Faithless Israel has proved herself less guilty than treacherous Judah [a land of renegades]. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north [where the ten tribes have been taken as captives] and say,

‘Return, faithless Israel,’ says the Lord;

‘I will not *look on you in anger.

For I am gracious and merciful,’ says the Lord;

‘I will not be angry forever.

13 ‘Only understand fully and acknowledge your wickedness and guilt,

That you have rebelled (transgressed) against the Lord your God

And have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree,

And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

14 ‘Return, O faithless children [of the twelve tribes],’ says the Lord,

‘For I am a master and husband to you,

And I will take you [not as a nation, but individually]—one from a city and two from a [tribal] family—

And I will bring you to Zion.’ [Luke 15:20-22]

15 "Then [in the final time] I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and [true] understanding. 16 It will be in those days when you have [repented and] multiplied and increased in the land," says the Lord, "they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will not come to mind, nor will they [seriously] remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again [for instead of the ark, which symbolized My presence, I will be present]. [Is 65:17; Rev 21:3, 22, 23] 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name (renown) of the Lord; and they will not walk anymore after the stubbornness of their [own] evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and *they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

19 "Then I said,

‘How [gloriously and honorably] I would set you among My children

And give you a pleasant land—a wonderful heritage,

The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’

And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father

And not turn away from following Me.’

20 "Surely, as a wife treacherously (unfaithfully) leaves her husband,

So you have dealt treacherously with Me,

O house of Israel," says the Lord.

21 A voice is heard on the barren heights,

The weeping and pleading of the children of Israel,

Because they have lost their way,

They have [deliberately] forgotten the Lord their God.

22 "Return, O faithless sons," [says the Lord],

"I will heal your unfaithfulness."

[They answer] "Behold, we come to You,

For You are the Lord our God.

23 "Truly, [the hope of salvation from] the hill [where idols are worshiped] is a deception,

A tumult and noisy multitude on the mountains;

Truly in the Lord our God

Is the salvation of Israel.

24 "But the shameful act [of idolatry] has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor and humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God."