Circumcise Your Heart

12 “And now, Israel, ^hwhat does the Lord your God require of you, but ⁱto fear the Lord your God, ^jto walk in all his ways, ^kto love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and ^lto keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today ^mfor your good? 14 Behold, ⁿto the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, ^othe earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet ^pthe Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore ^qthe foreskin of your heart, and be no longer ^rstubborn. 17 For the Lord your God is ^sGod of gods and ^tLord of lords, ^uthe great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is ^vnot partial and takes no bribe. 18 ^wHe executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 ^xLove the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 ⁱYou shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and ^yhold fast to him, and ^zby his name you shall swear. 21 ^aHe is your praise. He is your God, ^bwho has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt ^cseventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you ^das numerous as the stars of heaven.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so ^vthat no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For ^wthe word of God is living and ^xactive, ^ysharper than any ^ztwo-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and ^adiscerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And ^bno creature is hidden from his sight, but all are ^cnaked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

14 Since then we have ^da great high priest ^ewho has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, ^flet us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest ^gwho is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been ^dtempted as we are, ^hyet without sin. 16 ⁱLet us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and ^xwas baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for ^yJohn had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over ^zpurification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, ^a“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, ^bto whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and ^call are going to him.” 27 John answered, ^d“A person cannot receive even one thing ^eunless it is given him ^ffrom heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ^g‘I am not the Christ, but ^hI have been sent before him.’ 29 ⁱThe one who has the bride is the bridegroom. ^jThe friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, ^krejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 ^lHe must increase, but I must decrease.”¹

31 ^mHe who comes from above ⁿis above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ^ospeaks in an earthly way. ^pHe who comes from heaven ⁿis above all. 32 ^qHe bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ^ryet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony ^ssets his seal to this, ^tthat God is true. 34 For he whom ^uGod has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit ^vwithout measure. 35 ^wThe Father loves the Son and ^xhas given all things into his hand. 36 ^yWhoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ^zwhoever does not obey the Son shall not ^asee life, but the wrath of God remains on him.