Is it of any special benefit ¹  to the Almighty that you should be righteous, or is it any gain to him that you make your ways blameless? ² 

The Maidens to the Beloved: Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned? Tell us, ¹  that we may seek him with you. ² 

You will pick up your images ¹  of Sikkuth, ²  your king, ³  and Kiyyun, ⁴  your star god, which you made for yourselves,

Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more. ¹ 

If David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ¹  And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

While the people were filled with anticipation ¹  and they all wondered ²  whether perhaps John ³  could be the Christ, ⁴ 

You do not realize ¹  that it is more to your advantage to have one man ²  die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” ³ 

(Now it was Caiaphas who had advised ¹  the Jewish leaders ²  that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.) ³ 

And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience ¹  of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another.

I ¹  was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, ²  and was ³  extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ⁴ 

They court you eagerly, ¹  but for no good purpose; ²  they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly. ³ 

However, it is good ¹  to be sought eagerly ²  for a good purpose ³  at all times, and not only when I am present with you.

But the aim of our instruction ¹  is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. ² 

There is no end to all the people ¹  nor to the past generations, ²  yet future generations ³  will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like ⁴  chasing the wind.

They will no longer trust in ¹  the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. ² 

No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you; ¹  you were thrown out into the open field ²  because you were detested on the day you were born.

Then say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: O city, who spills blood within herself (which brings on her doom), ¹  and who makes herself idols (which results in impurity),

The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. ¹  They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she ²  became disgusted with them.