Misericórdia

18 Where is another God like you,

who pardons the guilt of the remnant,

overlooking the sins of his special people?

You will not stay angry with your people forever,

because you delight in showing unfailing love.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion,

blot out the stain of my sins.

2 Wash me clean from my guilt.

Purify me from my sin.

6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,

which you have shown from long ages past.

7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.

Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,

for you are merciful, O Lord.

1 From the depths of despair, O Lord,

I call for your help.

2 Hear my cry, O Lord.

Pay attention to my prayer.

11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.

Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

13 The Lord is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

9 Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper,

but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

7 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.

Blessings for the Lord’s People

18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him

so he can show you his love and compassion.

For the Lord is a faithful God.

Blessed are those who wait for his help.

13 Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’*For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone* who sins against me? Seven times?"

22 "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!*

14 "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

31 But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!

5 Good comes to those who lend money generously

and conduct their business fairly.

17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval

and make our efforts successful.

Yes, make our efforts successful!

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

A Living Sacrifice to God

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,* I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.*

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

29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

Preparations for Passover

1 King Hezekiah now sent word to all Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters of invitation to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh. He asked everyone to come to the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 The king, his officials, and all the community of Jerusalem decided to celebrate Passover a month later than usual.*3 They were unable to celebrate it at the prescribed time because not enough priests could be purified by then, and the people had not yet assembled at Jerusalem.

4 This plan for keeping the Passover seemed right to the king and all the people. 5 So they sent a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north, inviting everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. The people had not been celebrating it in great numbers as required in the Law.

6 At the king’s command, runners were sent throughout Israel and Judah. They carried letters that said:

"O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,* so that he will return to the few of us who have survived the conquest of the Assyrian kings. 7 Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see. 8 Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.

9 "For if you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you."

Celebration of Passover

10 The runners went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just laughed at the runners and made fun of them. 11 However, some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.

12 At the same time, God’s hand was on the people in the land of Judah, giving them all one heart to obey the orders of the king and his officials, who were following the word of the Lord. 13 So a huge crowd assembled at Jerusalem in midspring* to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 14 They set to work and removed the pagan altars from Jerusalem. They took away all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.

15 On the fourteenth day of the second month, one month later than usual,* the people slaughtered the Passover lamb. This shamed the priests and Levites, so they purified themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Temple of the Lord. 16 Then they took their places at the Temple as prescribed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites brought the sacrificial blood to the priests, who then sprinkled it on the altar.

17 Since many of the people had not purified themselves, the Levites had to slaughter their Passover lamb for them, to set them apart for the Lord. 18 Most of those who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said, "May the Lord, who is good, pardon those 19 who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony." 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.

21 So the people of Israel who were present in Jerusalem joyously celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Each day the Levites and priests sang to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments.*22 Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they displayed as they served the Lord. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

23 The entire assembly then decided to continue the festival another seven days, so they celebrated joyfully for another week. 24 King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep and goats for offerings, and the officials donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats. Meanwhile, many more priests purified themselves.

25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, including the priests, the Levites, all who came from the land of Israel, the foreigners who came to the festival, and all those who lived in Judah. 26 There was great joy in the city, for Jerusalem had not seen a celebration like this one since the days of Solomon, King David’s son. 27 Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and God heard their prayer from his holy dwelling in heaven.

1 "If a man divorces a woman

and she goes and marries someone else,

he will not take her back again,

for that would surely corrupt the land.

But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers,

so why are you trying to come back to me?"

says the Lord.

2 "Look at the shrines on every hilltop.

Is there any place you have not been defiled

by your adultery with other gods?

You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer.

You sit alone like a nomad in the desert.

You have polluted the land with your prostitution

and your wickedness.

3 That’s why even the spring rains have failed.

For you are a brazen prostitute and completely shameless.

4 Yet you say to me,

‘Father, you have been my guide since my youth.

5 Surely you won’t be angry forever!

Surely you can forget about it!’

So you talk,

but you keep on doing all the evil you can."

Judah Follows Israel’s Example

6 During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, "Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. 7 I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. 8 She saw* that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. 9 Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. 10 But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Hope for Wayward Israel

11 Then the Lord said to me, "Even faithless Israel is less guilty than treacherous Judah! 12 Therefore, go and give this message to Israel.* This is what the Lord says:

"O Israel, my faithless people,

come home to me again,

for I am merciful.

I will not be angry with you forever.

13 Only acknowledge your guilt.

Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God

and committed adultery against him

by worshiping idols under every green tree.

Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.

I, the Lord, have spoken!

14 "Return home, you wayward children,"

says the Lord,

"for I am your master.

I will bring you back to the land of Israel*—

one from this town and two from that family—

from wherever you are scattered.

15 And I will give you shepherds after my own heart,

who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.

16 "And when your land is once more filled with people," says the Lord, "you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. 17 In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. 18 In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance forever.

19 "I thought to myself,

‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’

I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—

the finest possession in the world.

I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’

and I wanted you never to turn from me.

20 But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!

You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband.

I, the Lord, have spoken."

21 Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,

the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people.

For they have chosen crooked paths

and have forgotten the Lord their God.

22 "My wayward children," says the Lord,

"come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts."

"Yes, we’re coming," the people reply,

"for you are the Lord our God.

23 Our worship of idols on the hills

and our religious orgies on the mountains

are a delusion.

Only in the Lord our God

will Israel ever find salvation.

24 From childhood we have watched

as everything our ancestors worked for—

their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters—

was squandered on a delusion.

25 Let us now lie down in shame

and cover ourselves with dishonor,

for we and our ancestors have sinned

against the Lord our God.

From our childhood to this day

we have never obeyed him."