The wicked prepare to kill me, ¹  yet I concentrate on your rules.

When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully ¹  what ²  is before you,

But they must make sure you learn to follow the religious practices of my people. ¹  Once they taught my people to swear their oaths using the name of the god Baal. ²  But then, they must swear oaths using my name, saying, “As surely as the Lord lives, I swear.” ³  If they do these things, ⁴  then they will be included among the people I call my own. ⁵ 

Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Now, if you pay close attention ¹  to my commandments that I am giving you today and love ²  the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being, ³ 

These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, ¹  has given you to possess. ² 

“If you refuse to obey ¹  all the words of this law, the things written in this scroll, and refuse to fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God,

Then Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues acted accordingly – with precision, just as Darius the king had given instructions. ¹ 

The Lord says, ¹  ‘You must make sure to obey me. You must not bring any loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day. You must set the Sabbath day apart to me. You must not do any work on that day.

He had been instructed in ¹  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ²  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ³  about Jesus, although he knew ⁴  only the baptism of John.

So keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that I today am commanding you to do.

Be certain to keep all the statutes and ordinances that I am presenting to you today.

Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to observe these statutes.

I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think very carefully.” I tried to make sense of what was happening. ¹ 

Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things! Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!

The one who is lazy ¹  becomes poor, ²  but the one who works diligently ³  becomes wealthy. ⁴ 

ט (Tet) The Lord is good to those who trust ¹  in him, to the one ²  who seeks him.

You, however, ¹  have followed my teaching, my ²  way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance,

Indeed, I will also make every effort that, after my departure, you have a testimony of these things. ¹ 

I have no greater joy than this: to hear ¹  that my children are living according to the truth. ²