The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 He also told this parable to some ^cwho trusted ^din themselves that they were righteous, ^eand treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men ^fwent up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, ^gstanding by himself, prayed^{1 h}thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ⁱI fast twice a week; ^jI give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, ^gstanding far off, ^kwould not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^lbeat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^mbe merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ⁿeveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

15 ^oNow they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^prebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^q“Let the children come to me, and ^rdo not hinder them, ^qfor to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 ^sTruly, I say to you, whoever does not ^treceive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God

10 ^pYou, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me ^qat Antioch, ^rat Iconium, and ^sat Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet ^tfrom them all ^uthe Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to ^vlive a godly life in Christ Jesus ^wwill be persecuted, 13 while ^xevil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and ^ybeing deceived. 14 But as for you, ^zcontinue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom¹ you learned it 15 and how ^afrom childhood you have been acquainted with ^bthe sacred writings, ^cwhich are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 ^dAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that ^ethe man of God² may be complete, ^fequipped ^gfor every good work.

The People Who Sealed the Covenant

1 ^e“On the seals are the names of¹ Nehemiah ^fthe governor, ^gthe son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, 2 ^hSeraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 ⁱHattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests. 9 And the Levites: ^jJeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of ^kHenadad, Kadmiel; 10 and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The chiefs of the people: ^lParosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

The Obligations of the Covenant

28 ^m“The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, ⁿand all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, ^oand enter into a curse and an oath ^pto walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 ^qWe will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 ^rAnd if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the ^sseventh year and the ^texaction of every debt.

32 “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly ^ua third part of a shekel² for the service of the house of our God: 33 ^vfor the showbread, ^wthe regular grain offering, ^wthe regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 ^xWe, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots ^yfor the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, ^zas it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves ^ato bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, ^bas it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 ^cand to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, ^dto the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of ^ethe storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi ^fshall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. ^gWe will not neglect the house of our God.”