Misericórdia

18 Who is a God like you,  *

forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion  *

for the remnant of his inheritance?  *

He does not hold on to his anger forever  *

because he delights in faithful love.  *

A Prayer for Restoration

1 Be gracious to me, God,

according to your faithful love;

according to your abundant compassion,

blot out my rebellion.  *

2 Completely wash away my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin.  *

6 Remember, Lord, your compassion

and your faithful love,

for they have existed from antiquity.  *,*

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth  *

or my acts of rebellion;  *

in keeping with your faithful love, remember me

because of your goodness, Lord.  *

Awaiting Redemption

1 Out of the depths I call to you,  Lord!  *

2 Lord, listen to my voice;

let your ears be attentive

to my cry for help.  *

11 Lord, you do not  * withhold your compassion from me.

Your constant love and truth will always guard me.  *

6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me

all the days of my life,  *

and I will dwell in  *  the house of the  Lord

as long as I live.  *,*

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.  *

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man  * Jesus Christ overflowed to the many.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  * Absolutely not!  *

4 But God, who is rich in mercy,  * because of his great love  * that he had for us,  *5 made us alive  * with Christ even though we were dead  * in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power*is perfected in weakness."*

Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

13 The one who conceals his sins

will not prosper,  *

but whoever confesses and renounces them

will find mercy.  *

7 Let the wicked one abandon his way

and the sinful one his thoughts;  *

let him return to the  Lord,

so he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will freely forgive.  *

The Lord’s Mercy to Israel

18 Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy,

and is rising up to show you compassion,  *

for the Lord is a just God.

All who wait patiently for him are happy.

13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.*,*For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners."*

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter approached him and asked, "Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times? "  *

22 "I tell you, not as many as seven," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven.*

14 "For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.*

31 However, in your abundant compassion,

you did not destroy them or abandon them,  *

for you are a gracious and compassionate God.  *

5 Good will come to the one who lends generously

and conducts his business fairly.  *

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;

establish for us the work of our hands —

establish the work of our hands!  *

16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you  * to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,  * holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.  *

16 For God loved*the world in this way:*He gave*his one and only*Son,*so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.*

29 For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe  * in him, but also to suffer for him,

Celebration of the Passover

1 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel.  *2 For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the Lord in the second month,  *3 because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves,  * and the people hadn’t been gathered together in Jerusalem. 4 The proposal pleased the king and the congregation, 5 so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan,  * to come to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often,  * as prescribed.  *

6 So the couriers  * went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, "Israelites, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.  *7 Don’t be like your ancestors and your brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors  * so that he made them an object of horror  * as you yourselves see. 8 Don’t become obstinate  *,* now like your ancestors did. Give your allegiance  * to the Lord, and come to his sanctuary that he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God so that he may turn his burning anger away from you,  *9 for when you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land.  * For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful;  * he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him."

10 The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants  * laughed at them and mocked them.  *11 But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.  *12 Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them  * to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.

13 A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem,  * and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.  *15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb  * on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Lord’s temple. 16 They stood at their prescribed posts,  * according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites, 17 for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the Lord.  *18 A large number of the people — many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun — were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover  * contrary to what was written.  * But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, "May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of 19 whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God,  * the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary." 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.  *21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy,  * and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments. 22 Then Hezekiah encouraged  *,* all the Levites who performed skillfully before the Lord. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.  *

23 The whole congregation decided to observe  * seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy, 24 for King Hezekiah of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the congregation,  * and many priests consecrated themselves.  *25 Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced. 26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.  *

27 Then the priests and the Levites  * stood to bless the people,  * and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place  * in heaven.

Wages of Apostasy

1 If  * a man divorces his wife

and she leaves him to marry another,

can he ever return to her?  *

Wouldn’t such a land  * become totally defiled?

But you!

You have prostituted yourself with many partners  *  —

can you return to me?  *

This is the  Lord’s declaration.

2 Look to the barren heights  * and see.

Where have you not been immoral?

You sat waiting for them beside the highways  *

like a nomad in the desert.

You have defiled the land

with your prostitution and wickedness.  *

3 This is why the showers haven’t come  *  —

why there has been no spring rain.

You have the brazen look  * of a prostitute  *

and refuse to be ashamed.  *

4 Haven’t you recently called to me, "My Father!  *

You were my friend in my youth.  *

5 Will he bear a grudge forever?  *

Will he be endlessly infuriated? "

This is what you have said,

but you have done the evil things

you are capable of.

Unfaithful Israel, Treacherous Judah

6 In the days of King Josiah the Lord asked me, "Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.  *7 I thought, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to me.’ * But she didn’t return, and her treacherous sister Judah  * saw it. 8 I  * observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce.  * Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself.  *9 Indifferent to  * her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones  * and trees.  *10 Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn’t return to me with all her heart  *  — only in pretense."

This is the Lord’s declaration.

11 The Lord announced to me, "Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.  *12 Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say,

‘Return, unfaithful Israel.  *

This is the  Lord’s declaration.

I will not look on you with anger,  *

for I am unfailing in my love.  *

This is the  Lord’s declaration.

I will not be angry forever.  *

13 Only acknowledge your guilt  *  —

you have rebelled against the  Lord your God.  *

You have scattered your favors to strangers

under every green tree  *

and have not obeyed me.

This is the  Lord’s declaration.

14 " ‘Return, you faithless children  *  — this is the Lord’s declaration — for I am your master,  *,* and I will take you,  * one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds who are loyal to me,  *,* and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill. 16 When you multiply and increase in the land,  * in those days — this is the Lord’s declaration — no one will say again, "The ark of the Lord’s covenant."  * It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. Another one will not be made.  *17 At that time Jerusalem will be called The Lord’s Throne,  * and all the nations will be gathered to it,  * to the name of the Lord in Jerusalem.  * They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel,  * and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit.’ "  *

True Repentance

19 I thought, "How I long to make you my sons

and give you a desirable land,

the most beautiful inheritance  * of all the nations."

I thought, "You will call me ‘My Father’

and never turn away from me."

20 However, as a woman may betray her lover,  *

so you have betrayed  * me, house of Israel.

This is the  Lord’s declaration.

21 A sound is heard on the barren heights:

the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy,

for they have perverted their way;

they have forgotten the  Lord their God.  *

22 Return, you faithless children.

I will heal your unfaithfulness.  *

"Here we are, coming to you,

for you are the  Lord our God.

23 Surely, falsehood comes from the hills,

commotion from the mountains,  *

but the salvation of Israel

is only in the  Lord our God.  *

24 From the time of our youth

the shameful one  * has consumed

what our ancestors have worked for —

their flocks and their herds,

their sons and their daughters.

25 Let us lie down in our shame;

let our disgrace cover us.  *

We have sinned against the  Lord our God,  *

both we and our ancestors,

from the time of our youth even to this day.  *

We have not obeyed the  Lord our God."