7 »It is the same. I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent.
32 »I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.«
22 »I have swept your sins away like a cloud. Come back to me! I am the one who saves you.
13 Also do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness for God.
15 Jesus said: »The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.«
14 »However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country.
13 »Rip apart your heart, and not your garments. Turn to Jehovah your God! He is gracious and merciful. He is slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness. He will turn back from doing harm.
12 »Even now,« said Jehovah, »turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning!
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right. But you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too.
21 Therefore get rid of all filthiness and wickedness. Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save you.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to Jehovah, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
19 »Repent therefore, and turn around, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times seasons of refreshing shall come from the presence of Jehovah. (Deuteronomy 18:18, 19)
10 »I tell you, it is the same for the angels of God who rejoice over one sinner who repents.«
1 Hezekiah sent a message to all Israel and Judah. He wrote letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. He invited them to come to Jehovahs Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of Jehovah the God of Israel.
2 The king, his officials, and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month.
3 They could not celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy and the people had not gathered in Jerusalem.
4 The king and the entire assembly considered their plan to be the right thing to do.
5 They decided to send an announcement throughout Israel from Beersheba to Dan. They summoned everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of Jehovah God of Israel. These people had not celebrated it in large numbers as the written instructions said they should.
6 Messengers carried letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. The kings order said: »Israelites should return to Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then he will return to the few of you who escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria.
7 »Do not be like your ancestors and your relatives who were unfaithful to Jehovah the God of their ancestors. He made them something that shocks people, as you have seen.
8 »Do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to Jehovah and enter his sanctuary that he has consecrated from generation to generation. Serve Jehovah your God that His burning anger may turn away from you.
9 »If you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. Jehovah your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.«
10 So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.
11 Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of Jehovah.
13 Many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. It was a very large assembly.
14 They arose and removed the altars in Jerusalem. They also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the Kidron Brook.
15 They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves. They consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah.
16 They stood in their regular places as instructed by the law of Moses. Moses was a man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood they received from the Levites.
17 Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for Jehovah.
18 Many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not made themselves clean. So they ate the Passover, but not in the way the written instructions said they should. Hezekiah prayed for them: »May Jehovah forgive everyone
19 who have their hearts set on dedicating their lives to serve God. May Jehovah the God of their ancestors do this for those who are not clean as required for the holy place.«
20 Jehovah listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
21 Thus the Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. Each day the Levites and priests praised Jehovah in song. They played Jehovahs instruments loudly.
22 Hezekiah spoke encouraging words to all the Levites who had the skills to serve Jehovah. They ate the festival meals for seven days, sacrificed fellowship offerings, and confessed their sins to Jehovah the God of their ancestors.
23 Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the festival for seven more days. So they joyfully celebrated for seven more days.
24 Hezekiah king of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the assembly. The princes contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the assembly. A large number of priests consecrated themselves.
25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced with the priests and the Levites. The entire assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah rejoiced.
26 There was great joy in Jerusalem. Nothing occurred like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.
27 The Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard and their prayer came to Gods holy dwelling place, to heaven.
19 "'I reprove and discipline those whom I love: be zealous therefore, and repent.
5 Make your members that are upon the earth dead with regard to fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness greed, which is idolatry.
38 Then Peter said: »Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
9 Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness. He is longsuffering patient toward you. He does not wish that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
1 The word of Jehovah came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet. It was in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius the king:
2 Jehovah was very angry with your fathers.
3 Tell them, Jehovah of Hosts has said: »Jehovah of Hosts says return to me and I will return to you.«
4 »Do not be like your fathers! The former prophets declared: Jehovah of Hosts said, I implore you, return from your evil ways, and from your wicked activities! But they did not listen, they paid no attention to me,« said Jehovah.
5 »Your fathers, where are they? The prophets, do they live forever?
6 »I commanded my servants the prophets to obey my words and my statutes. They disregarded them and suffered greatly. Then they repented and admitted that I, Jehovah of Hosts, corrected them as they deserved according to their deeds.«
7 In the second year that Darius was king, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month the month of Shebat, Jehovah gave me a message in a vision at night.
8 He said: »I had a vision in the night. I saw someone riding a red horse. He stopped among some myrtle trees in a valley, and behind him were other horses, red, speckled, and white.«
9 I asked him, »Sir, what do these horses mean?« He answered: »I will show you what they mean.«
10 The man answered: »These are they whom Jehovah sent to inspect the earth.«
11 They spoke to the Messenger Angel of Jehovah who stood among the myrtle-trees: »We have patrolled the earth and the entire world is at rest.«
12 Then the Messenger Angel of Jehovah said: »Jehovah of Hosts, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years.«
13 Jehovah replied to the angel that talked with me with gracious and comforting words.
14 The angel said: »Call out, say, this is what Jehovah of Hosts has said: I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with intense ardor.
15 And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease secure. I was but a little angered and they caused my anger to grow into fury.«
16 »Therefore,« said Jehovah: »I will return to Jerusalem with compassion. My house will be built in it,« said Jehovah of Hosts, »and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.«
17 »Pronounce again, Jehovah of hosts: My cities will again overflow with prosperity. Jehovah will comfort Zion and yet choose Jerusalem.«
18 I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.
19 I questioned the angel: »What are these?« And he answered me, »These are the horns governments that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.«
20 Then Jehovah showed me four craftsmen.
21 I asked: »What did these come to do?« He answered: »These are the horns that scattered Judah! No man lifted up his head for these came to terrify them. They will cast down the horns powerauthority of the nations that lifted up their horn powerauthority against the land of Judah to scatter it.«
17 From that time on Jesus preached this message: »Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near.«
21 »If the wicked man turns from all his sins and observes all my statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall live; he shall not die.
8 »Bear fruit worthy of repentance!
32 »I do not want anyone to die, says the Lord Jehovah. Turn away from repent of your sins and live.«
30 »God overlooked the times of ignorance; but now he commands men everywhere to repent.
1 Jehovahs word continued to come to me:
2 »What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: The fathers eat sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge?
3 »As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah: You are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.
4 »The life of every person belongs to me. The life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The person who sins will die.
5 »If a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness,
6 and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period;
7 »if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
8 »If he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man,
9 »if he lives by my rules and obeys my laws faithfully this person is righteous. He will certainly live, declares the Lord Jehovah.
10 »Suppose this person has a son who robs and murders. The son does all these other things
11 that his father never did. He eats at the illegal mountain worship sites. He dishonors his neighbor's wife.
12 »He oppresses the poor and needy. He robs. He does not return the security for a loan. He looks to idols for help. He does disgusting things.
13 »He lends money for interest and makes excessive profits. Will this person live? He will not live. He has done all these disgusting things. So he must die, and he will be responsible for his own death.
14 »Now suppose this son has a son. The son sees all the sins that his father does. He is afraid, so he does not do such things.
15 »He does not eat at the illegal mountain worship sites or look for help from the idols of the nation of Israel. He does not dishonor his neighbor's wife.
16 »He does not oppress anyone. He does not keep the security for a loan. He does not rob anyone. He gives food to people who are hungry, and he gives clothes to those who are naked.
17 »He keeps his hand from the poor and does not take interest or increase, but executes my ordinances, and walks in my statutes. He will not die for his father's iniquity. He will surely live.
18 »As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.
19 »Yet you say: »Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity?« When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has observed all my statutes and done them, he shall surely live.
20 »The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself. And the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.
21 »If the wicked man turns from all his sins and observes all my statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall live; he shall not die.
22 »All his transgressions he has committed will not be remembered against him. He will live because of his righteousness he has practiced.
23 »Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord Jehovah, that he should turn from his ways and live?
24 »But suppose a righteous person turns away from doing right and he does evil things. He does all the disgusting things that the wicked person did. Will he live? All the right things that he has done will not be remembered because of his unfaithfulness and because of his sin. He will die because of them.
25 »But you say: »Jehovahs way is unfair.« Listen, nation of Israel, is my way fair? Is it your ways that are unfair?
26 »When a righteous person turns away from doing right and does evil things, he will die. He will die because of the evil things he has done.
27 »When a wicked person turns away from the wicked things that he has done and does what is fair and right, he will live.
28 »He realized what he was doing and turned away from all the rebellious things that he had done. He will certainly live. He will not die.
29 »But the nation of Israel says: Jehovahs way is unfair. Is my way not fair, nation of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
30 »That is why I will judge each of you by what you have done, people of Israel, declares the Lord Jehovah. Change the way you think and act. Repent! Turn away from all the rebellious things that you have done so that you will not fall into sin.
31 »Give up all the evil you have been doing. Get yourselves new minds and hearts. Why do you Israelites want to die?
32 »I do not want anyone to die, says the Lord Jehovah. Turn away from repent of your sins and live.«