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I. The Jews sinned grievously by offending God by forsaking the Lord and following idols
In the book of Exodus, the people say to Aaron: “Arise and do for us the gods who will go before us: for this man Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what should happen to him” (Exodus 32:1). There Moses says to the Lord: “I pray to you, Lord; People have sinned, this sin is great, and they have created for themselves gold (and silver) gods; and now, if you forgive them their sin, forgive it; Otherwise, blot me out of Thy book, Thou hast written me down. And the Lord said to Moses: If anyone sins against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (Ex. 32:31-33). Deuteronomy says: “Devoured by the demon, and not by God” (Deut. 32:17). Also in the book of Judges: “And the children of Israel did evil before the Lord, and served Baal; and their fathers forsaken the Lord God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and went after other gods from the gods of the pagans who were around them, and worshiped them, and angered the Lord, and forsaken Him, and served Baal and Ashtaroth” (Judges 2:11-13). In Malachi: “Judah was left, and an abomination was left in Israel and in Jerusalem; Desecrate Judah, the holy one of the Lord, which he loved, and go to strangers to God” (Mal. 2:11).
II. That they did not believe the prophets and killed them
In Jeremiah, the Lord says: “The prophet sent his servants to you all, rising in the morning and sending; and neither hear nor bend your ears, but hear when he says: Turn every one from your evil ways and from your evil thoughts, and you will dwell in the land that the Lord gave to you and your father, from everlasting to everlasting; and do not follow in the footsteps of foreign gods, so as to serve them and worship them, lest you anger Me in the works of your hands, so as to embitter you. And do not listen to Me...” (Jer.25:4–7 fn. Jer.7:13). Also in the Third Book of Kings, Elijah says to the Lord: “I am jealous of the Lord God Almighty, because the sons of Israel have abandoned Thee: Thy altars have been dug up and Thy prophets have been beaten with weapons, and the remnant is one and they seek to take my life” (1 Kings 19:10). Also in Nehemiah: “I departed from You, and cast Your law behind my flesh; and Your prophets have destroyed those who have testified to them, so that they may return to You” (Neh. 9:26).
III. It was previously predicted that they would neither know nor understand nor receive the Lord.
In Isaiah: “Hear the heavens, and tell the earth, that the Lord said: Sons have begotten and are exalted, but they have rejected Me. The ox and the donkey knew his master's manger; Israel does not know Me, and My people do not understand. Alas, a sinful tongue, a people full of sins, an evil seed, sons of iniquity, who have abandoned the Lord and angered the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 1:2-4). The Lord says to him: “Go and speak to this people: you will hear by hearing, but will not understand; and you will see, and you will not see; For this people's heart is clothed, and their ears are heavy with hearing, and their eyes are closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I will heal” (Is. 6:9-10). Also in Jeremiah, the Lord says: “I have forsaken the fountains of living waters, and have dug up for myself treasures of brokenness that cannot contain water” (Jer. 2:13). From the same prophet: “Behold, the word of the Lord came to them as a reproach, and they did not accept it” (Jer. 6:10). In him, the Lord says: “Erodia in heaven knew her time, the turtledove and the village gusset, having preserved the times of her entrances as slaves; but these My people did not know the judgments of the Lord.
Why do you say that we are wise and the law of the Lord is with us? truly the lying reed of the scribe was in vain. Being ashamed of wisdom, and being afraid and deceived, you rejected the word of the Lord” (Jer. 8:7-9). Also in the Proverbs of Solomon: “Evil will call upon Me, but will not find me. For you have hated wisdom, but have not accepted the word of the Lord” (Prov. 1:28–29). Also in Psalm 27: “...give them their reward. For I have not understood the works of the Lord...” (Ps. 27:4-5). And in Psalm 81: “having not known less than understanding, they walk in darkness” (Ps. 82:5). And in the Gospel of John: “He came to his own people, but did not receive him from his own people. And the little ones received Him, and gave them the realm to become children of God, who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12).
IV. That the Jews will not understand the holy scriptures: they will be understood in the last times, when Christ comes
In Isaiah: “And all these words shall be unto you, even as the words of the sealed book of this book, even if they give it unto a man that knoweth the scriptures, saying, Read this: and he saith, I cannot read it, for it is sealed... And on that day they shall hear the words of this book, and those that are in darkness, and those that are in darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see” ( Isa.29:11, 18). In Jeremiah: “in the last days you will understand His counsel” (Jer. 23:20). In Daniel: “Shut up the words and seal the books until the time of the end, until many will learn and knowledge will increase; ... when the scattering ends ... these things will all be taken away” (Dan.12:4, 7). Also in Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians: “I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, as our fathers were all under a cloud” (1 Cor. 10:1). And in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians: “their thoughts were blinded, even to this day the veil in the reading of the Old Testament does not remain openly, but ceases to be in Christ; but even to this day, whenever Moses is revered, a veil lies over their hearts. Whenever they turn to the Lord, the veil will be taken away” (2 Cor. 3:14-16).
And in the Gospel, the Lord says after the Resurrection: “These are the words that were spoken to you by those who were still with you, as it is fitting for all those written in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms about Me to pass away. Then you opened their minds, understood the scriptures, and said to them, “For as it is written, and thus it is fitting for Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead on the third day, and to preach in His name repentance and remission of sins to all nations” (Luke 24:44-47).
V. That the Jews cannot understand anything from the scriptures until they believe in Christ
In Isaiah: “And if you do not believe, you will not understand” (Is. 7:9). The Lord also says in the Gospel: “If you do not have faith, as I am, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). And that truth stands by faith and from here life flows, this is predicted by Habakkuk: “But my righteous shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4). And That is why Abraham, the father of languages, believed, as it says in the book of Genesis: “Abraham believed God, and credited Him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Paul also says in the Epistle to the Galatians: “Abraham believed God, and credit Him for righteousness. To the tongues, God, preached the gospel to Abraham first, that through you all the nations will be blessed. And those who are of faith will be blessed along with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:6-9).
VI. That they will lose Jerusalem and leave an ancestral land
In Isaiah: “Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, strangers devour your country before you, and it is deserted by strange people. The daughter of Zion will remain like a tabernacle among vineyards, and like a vegetable storehouse in a hillside city, like a city at war; and if the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, as Sodom would have been, and as Gomorrah would have been like that” (Is. 1:7-9). The Lord also says in the Gospel: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you beat the prophets and stoned those sent to you: how much did your fellow children desire, as your chicks gather kokosh under the wing, and did you not desire? Behold, your house is left to you empty” (Matthew 23:37–38).
VII. That they will lose the light of the Lord
In Isaiah: “Come, let us walk by the light of the Lord; Let the people leave their house Jacob” (Is. 2:5-6). Also in the Gospel of John: “This is the true light, which enlightens every man who comes into the world. In the world there was no, and the world was, and the world knew Him not” (John 1:9-10). In the same place: “He who does not believe is already condemned, for he does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is judgment, because the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:18-19).
VIII. That after the abolition of the first carnal circumcision, the second - spiritual circumcision will be established
In Jeremiah: “This says the Lord to the man of Judah and the inhabitant of Jerusalem: Renew your fields and do not sow on thorns; Be circumcised to your God, and circumcise your hardness of heart... lest My wrath come forth like fire, and be kindled, and not be quenched” (Jer. 4:3-4). Also Moses says in Deuteronomy: (in the last days) “the Lord will purify (circumcise) your heart and the heart of your seed, to love the Lord your God” (Deut. 30:6). And in Joshua: “the Lord said to Joshua: make for yourself knives of stone from sharp stones, and hereafter circumcise the sons of Israel second” (Joshua 5:2). Also Paul in his letter to To the Colossians: “circumcision was made with hands made without hands, in putting off the body of sinful flesh, in the circumcision of Christ” (Col. 2:11). Yes, and the first man Adam was created by God uncircumcised; the same was Abel, the righteous, and Enoch, who pleased God and was converted, and Noah, chosen to preserve the human race at a time when the earth and people were destroyed for iniquities, and Melchizedek the priest, according to whose order Christ was promised. So, the sign of the seed is not useful for everyone, but everyone is signified by the sign of the Lord.
IX. That the old law given by Moses will cease
In Isaiah: “Then there will be manifestations that seal the law without learning. And he says: I will wait for God, who has turned his face away from the house of Jacob, and I will trust” (Is. 8:16-17). Also in the Gospel of Matthew: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:13).
X. That a new law will be given
In Micah: “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he will judge among many people and expose strong tongues” (Mic. 4:2-3). Also in Isaiah: “For out of Zion shall the law go forth, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem, and the tongue shall judge in the midst” (Is. 2:3–4). And in the Gospel of Matthew: “and behold, a voice from the cloud saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).
XI. That a new order will be made and a new covenant will be given
In Jeremiah: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant which their father commanded in the day that I eat by their hand, to bring me out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide in My covenant, and I was heedless of them, says the Lord. For this covenant, which I will make to the house of Israel from these days, says the Lord: ... I have given My laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be unto them as God, and they shall be Me for a people, and every man shall not teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all will know Me, from the least of them even to their greatest, for I will be merciful to their iniquities and will not remember their sins” (Jer. 31:31-34).
XII. That with the cessation of the old baptism a new one will begin
In Isaiah: “Do not remember the first and do not think about the old. Behold, I am creating a new one, even now they will shine, and I will tell you; And I will make a way in the wilderness and in the waterless rivers... to give drink to My chosen generation, My people, even whom I have taught My virtues” (Is. 43:18-21). He says: “And if they are thirsty, He will lead them through the wilderness and bring water out of the stone for them; the rock will break up and the water will flow out and My people will drink” (Is. 48:21). Also in the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist says: “For I baptize you with water for repentance; but he who comes after me is stronger than me, but he is not worthy to carry the boots, he who baptizes with the Spirit Holy and fire" (Matthew 3:11). And the Gospel of John says: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:5-6).
XIII. That the old yoke will be taken away and a new yoke will be given
In the second psalm: “Have the nations and people reeled in vain? The kings of the earth and the princes came together to gather together against the Lord and His Christ. Let us break their bonds and cast their yoke away from us” (Ps. 2:1-3). Also in the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). In Jeremiah: “In that day... I will break their necks with a yoke and break their bonds in pieces; And they will not serve strangers, but they will serve the Lord their God, and I will raise up for them David as their king” (Jer. 30:8-9).
XIV. That old shepherds will be replaced by new ones
In Ezekiel: “This says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am a shepherd, and I will require My sheep out of their hands, and I will leave My sheep from pasturing, and the shepherds will not feed them... and I will take My sheep out of their mouth... and I will shepherd My sheep with judgment” (Ezekiel 34:10, 16). In Jeremiah, the Lord says: “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, and they will feed you with understanding and doctrine” (Jer. 3:15). In Jeremiah: “Hear, O Gentiles, the word of the Lord, and proclaim in the far islands, and cry: He who scatters Israel will gather him and provide for him, as a shepherd for his flock; for the Lord has delivered Jacob, and taken him out of the hand of his mightiest” (Jer. 31:10-11).
XV. That Christ will be the church and house of God - the old church will be destroyed and a new one will be built
In the Second Book of Samuel: “the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, Go and speak to my servant David: This saith the Lord: Thou shalt not build a house for Me to dwell in... And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled, that thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and I will raise up thy seed after thee, such as shall be from thy womb, and I will prepare his kingdom. He will build a house for My name, and I will rule his throne forever; I will be like a father to him, and Mi will be like a son; ... and his house and his kingdom will be faithful forever before Me” (2 Samuel 7:4–5, 7:12–14, 16). Also in the Gospel, the Lord says: “not to leave here (in the church) one stone upon another, lest it be destroyed” (Matthew 24:2). And again: “I will destroy this church, made with hands, and in three days I will build another not made with hands” (Mark 14:58).
XVI. That the old sacrifice will be abolished and a new sacrifice will be made
In Isaiah: “What is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am filled with burnt offerings of rams and the fat of lambs, and I do not want the blood of young men and goats... Who will take this delicacy from your hands?” (Isaiah 1:11–12). Also in Psalm 49: “Do I eat the flesh of yuncha, or drink the blood of goats? Devour the sacrifice of praise to God and offer your prayers to the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of your tribulation, and destroy you, and glorify Me” (Ps. 49:13-15).
In the same psalm: “The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and there is the way whereby I will show him My salvation” (Ps. 49:23). And in Psalm 4: “devour the sacrifice of righteousness and trust in the Lord” (Ps. 4:6). Also in Malachi: “My will is not done in you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will not accept sacrifice at your hands. From the east of the sun to the west, my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name and the sacrifice is pure; “My name is great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty” (Mal. 1:10–11).
XVII. That the old priesthood will cease and a new priest will come, who will abide forever
In Psalm 109: “From the womb before the morning star I gave birth to you. The Lord swears and will not repent: you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 109:3-4). Also in the First Book of Kings, the Lord says to Eli the priest: “And I will raise up for myself a faithful sacrifice, like all that is in My heart... will do; and I will build him a faithful house, and he will go before My Christ all the days; and everyone who remains in your house will come to worship him, with a coin of silver and one piece of bread” (1 Samuel 2:35-36).
XVIII. That another promised prophet will be sent, like Moses, who will give a new covenant and who must especially be obeyed
In Deuteronomy, God says to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brethren, just as you did, and I will put My word in his mouth, and he will speak to them as I commanded him. And the man who will not listen to his word, as soon as that prophet speaks in My name, I will take vengeance from him” (Deut. 18:18-19). Christ speaks about the same thing in the Gospel of John: “Test the scriptures, that in them you think that you have eternal life, and that they testify about Me. And you do not want to come to Me, but you have a stomach... Do not remember that I am a river to the Father; There is, as Moses says in you, but you trust. If they believed quickly in Moses, they quickly believed in Me; about me more than that piss. Even though you do not believe by the Scripture, you have faith by My word?” ( John 5:39–40, 45–47 ).
XIX. That there will be two nations, a larger and a smaller one, that is: the old Jewish one and the new one, which will be made up of us
In the book of Genesis: “And the Lord said to her (Rebekah): There are two tongues in your womb, and two people will be separated from your womb; and people will surpass people, and the older will do the work of the younger” (Gen. 25:23). Also in Hosea: “And I will have mercy on the one who did not have mercy and the river that is not My people: you are My people” (Hos. 2:23). the same: “And in the place where it was spoken to them, you are not My people; these there will be called the sons of the living God” (Hosea 1:10).
XX. That the Church of the Gentiles, at first barren, will have many more children than the synagogue had before
In Isaiah: “Rejoice, you who do not bear children, shout and cry, you who are not sick with stomach, for many are more empty children than those who have husbands. The Lord said: expand the place of your tabernacle and your covers, set it up, do not spare, extend your tent and strengthen your stake. Stretch also on the gum and to the left; and your seed will inherit tongues and inhabit desolate cities. Do not be afraid, for you have been put to shame; be ashamed, for you have been reproached, for you will forget your eternal shame” (Is. 54:1–4). So with Abraham, when his first son was born from a slave, Sarah remained barren for a long time and late, in old age, according to the promise, she gave birth to a son, Isaac, who was a type of Christ. So Jacob took two wives, the elder Leah, who had trouble with her eyes and served as an image of the synagogue, and the younger one, the beautiful Rachel, who typified the Church. Rachel remained barren for a long time and then gave birth to Joseph, who himself was a prototype of Christ.
In the First Book of Kings (1 Samuel 1:2) it is also read that Elkanah had two wives: Peninnah, who had children, and Hannah, who was at first barren, but then gave birth to Samuel, not according to the usual order of births, but according to God’s mercy and promise given to her at the time when she prayed in the tabernacle, and Samuel, who was born from her, was a type of Christ. In the same First Book of Kings it is also read that “you have given birth to seven barren children, and many children are faint” (1 Samuel 2:5). And seven sons means seven Churches. Why did Paul write epistles to the seven Churches, and in the Apocalypse (Rev. 1:4) seven Churches are mentioned, so that the sevenfold number is maintained; since the days of the creation of the world by God are seven, and the angels who stand and remain before the face of God, according to the Angel Raphael in the book of Tobit (Tov. 12:15), are seven, and the lamp in the tabernacle of testimony has seven lights (Ex. 25:31), and the eyes of God watching over the world are seven, and the stone of Zechariah has seven eyes (Zech. 3:9), seven spirits, and lamps in The Apocalypse (Rev. 1:21) is seven, and the pillars on which, according to Solomon (Prov. 9:1) wisdom founded the house, are seven.
XXI. That pagans would prefer to believe in Christ
In the book of Genesis: “And the Lord said unto Abraham, Come forth from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, and go to the land which I will show thee. And I will make you into a great language, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you will be blessed; And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse, and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you” (Gen. 12:1-3). The same is true in another place in the book of Genesis: “And he blessed (Isaac Jacob) and said: Behold, the stench of my son is like the stench of the fields, so bless the Lord. And may God give you from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth and plenty of wheat and wine; and let the heathen serve you, and let the princes worship you, and be a lord to your brother, and let your father’s sons worship you: he who curses you is cursed, but he who bless you is blessed” (Gen. 27:27-29). Also in the book of Genesis: “When Joseph saw that his father had laid his hand on his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he appeared to him with great pain, and when Joseph received his father’s hand, he took away his father’s hand from the head of Ephraim on the head of Manasseh, and Joseph said to his father: Not so, father, for this is the firstborn, lay your hand on his right hand on his head.
And not wanting to, but saying: we know, child, we know; and this one will become a people, and this one will be exalted, but his youngest brother will be greater, and his seed will become many languages” (Gen. 48:17-19). In the same book of Genesis: “Judah, your brethren will praise you; your hands are on the blanket of your enemies; the sons of your father will worship you. Skimen of the Lions Judah; From the summer growth, my son, you rose up, you lay down and fell asleep like a lion and like a skiman: who will awaken him? The prince will not fail from Judah, nor the leader from his feet, until the hope of the tongues comes. Tie your lot to the vine and your donkey’s stallion to the vineyard; He shall stain his garments with wine, and his garments with the blood of grapes. His eyes are more joyful than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk” (Gen.49:8-12). Further, in the book of Numbers it is written about our people: “Behold, the people will rise up like princes” (Num. 23:24). In Deuteronomy: “This (foreigner) will be the head, but you (the unfaithful people of Judah) will be the tail” (Deut. 28:44). Also in Jeremiah: “Hear the voice of the trumpet; and the cry: we will not listen. For this reason, the Gentiles have heard and they feed their flocks” (Jer. 6:17–18).
In Psalm 17: “Make me the chief of the tongues; people whom I had not seen, who worked with me, listened to me with the ear of the ear” (Ps. 17:44-45). The Lord speaks about the same thing in Jeremiah: “Before I created you in the womb, I knew you, and before I brought you out of your womb, I sanctified you and made you a prophet among the tongues” (Jer. 1:5). Also in Isaiah: “Behold, the testimony of his prince and ruler in the tongue of the nations. Behold, the nations, who have not seen you, will call to you, and people who have not known you will come running to you” (Is. 55:4-5). “And on that day the root of Jesse will arise and speak of tongues; in Him the nations will trust, and His honor will rest” (Is. 11:10). “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali and the rest of the sea people who live and about the land of Jordan, Galilee of tongues! People walking in darkness saw a great light; living in the land and shadow of death, light will shine on you” (Is. 9:1-2; fn. Matt. 4:16). And again in Isaiah: “The Lord God says to my anointed Cyrus, I will hold him by the right hand, I will subdue the tongues before him and destroy the fortress of kings, I will open the gates before him and the cities will not be shut” (Is. 45:1). He says: “I am coming, gathering all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.
And I will leave a sign on them and send those saved from them into the nations... and into the islands far off, who have not heard my name, but have seen my glory below, and they will proclaim my glory to the nations" (Is. 66:18-19). "He will set up a sign in the nations that are far off and will tell them from the ends of the earth" (Is. 5:26). not having been told about him, they will see, and those who have not heard will understand” (Isaiah 52:15). Even in Isaiah: “I was found to those who did not have me, and I said, Behold, I am to a tongue who did not call upon my name” (Isaiah 65:1). “It is not right for you to speak the word of God; but since you have rejected it and are unworthy of yourselves to the eternal life, behold, we are converted into tongues, for this is the Lord’s commandment to us: He has set you as a light for your salvation even to the last of the earth” (Acts 13:46-47).
XXII. That the bread and cup of Christ and all the grace of Judea will lose, but we will receive, and that the new name of Christians will be blessed on earth
In Isaiah the Lord says: “Behold, those who work for Me will eat, but you will hunger; Behold, those who work will write, but you will thirst; Behold, those who work for Me will rejoice, but you will be put to shame... The Lord will beat you, but those who work for Me will be called a new name, which will be blessed in the earth” (Is. 65:13-16). In the same Isaiah in another place: “he will set up a sign among the nations that are far off, and will call them from the ends of the earth, and behold, the light ones are coming quickly; They shall neither hunger nor be weary” (Isa. 5:26–27). And also from the same: “Behold, the Sovereign Lord of hosts will take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the strong and strong, the strength of bread and the strength of water” (Is. 3:1). Also in Psalm 33: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Fear the Lord, all your saints, for there is no hardship for those who fear Him. Wealth has made us poor and hungry; But those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good” (Ps. 33:9-11). Also in the Gospel of John, the Lord says: “I am the bread of animals; He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink; Believe in Me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow out of his belly” (John 7:37-38). “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life within you” (John 6:53).
XXIII. That more Gentiles will enter the Kingdom of God than Jews
The Lord says in the Gospel of Matthew: “many people from the east and west will come and sit with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven; the sons of the kingdom will be driven out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11-12).
XXIV. That the Jews can receive forgiveness of their crimes under one condition, if the Blood of Christ, whom they killed, is washed away by His baptism and, having transferred to His Church, they obey His commandments
In Isaiah the Lord says: “Whoever will not bear your sins. Whenever you stretch out your hands to Me, I will turn My eyes away from you; and even if you increase your prayer, I will not hear you, for your hands are full of blood. Wash yourself and be clean, take away the wickedness from your souls before My eyes, cease from your wickedness. Learn to do good, seek justice, deliver the wronged, judge the orphan and justify the widow, and come and let us be redeemed, says the Lord. And though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Even if they are like scarlet, I will make them white like wool. And if you want and listen to Me, you will destroy the good earth; If you do not want to listen to Me, you will girdle the sword, for the mouth of the Lord speaks this” (Is. 1:14-20).
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