“ Israel, I have loved you,” says the Lord.“ But you ask,‘ How have you loved us?’“ Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” says the Lord.“ But I chose Jacob

耶和华说：“我曾爱你们。”你们却说：“你在何事上爱我们呢？”耶和华说：“以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各，

耶和华说：“我曾爱你们。”你们却说：“你在何事上爱我们呢？”耶和华说：“以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各，

耶和华说：“我曾爱你们。”你们却说：“你在何事上爱我们呢？”耶和华说：“以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各，

耶和华说：“我曾爱你们。”你们却说：“你在何事上爱我们呢？”耶和华说：“以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？但我却爱雅各，

耶和华说：“我爱你们。”你们却说：“你怎样爱了我们呢？”耶和华说：“以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各，

耶和华说：“我爱了你们。”你们竟然问：“你是怎么爱我们的呢？”耶和华宣告：“以扫难道不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各，

耶和華說：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各，

耶和華說：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各，

耶和華說：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各，

耶和華說：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？但我卻愛雅各，

耶和華說：“我愛你們。”你們卻說：“你怎樣愛了我們呢？”耶和華說：“以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各，

永恆主說：『我愛了你們。』但你們卻說：『你在甚麼事上愛了我們呢？』永恆主發神諭說：『以掃豈不是雅各的哥哥麼？然而我卻愛了雅各，

耶和華說：「我愛了你們。」你們竟然問：「你是怎麼愛我們的呢？」耶和華宣告：「以掃難道不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各，

耶和華曰、我愛爾、爾曰、於何愛我、耶和華曰、以掃非雅各之兄乎、然我愛雅各、

耶和華曰、我眷愛爾、爾曰、眷愛余躬、何以為徵、耶和華曰、以掃為雅各之兄、我愛雅各、

主曰、我愛爾、爾曰、主於何處愛我、主於何處愛我或作主以何愛我又作主愛我以何為徵主曰、以掃非雅各之兄乎、我愛雅各、

“ I have loved you,” says the Lord.“ But you ask,‘ How have you loved us?’“ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord.“ Yet I have loved Jacob,

“ I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say,“ How have you loved us?”“ Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord.“ Yet I have loved Jacob

“ I have always loved you,” says the Lord. But you retort,“ Really? How have you loved us?” And the Lord replies,“ This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob,

“ I have loved you,” says the LORD. Yet you ask,“ How have you loved us?”“ Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” This is the LORD’s declaration.“ Even so, I loved Jacob,

“ I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say,“ How have You loved us?”“ Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord.“ Yet I have loved Jacob;

“ I have loved you,” says the Lord.“ Yet you say,‘ In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord.“ Yet Jacob I have loved;

I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob;

“ I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you ask:“ How have You loved us?”“ Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” This is the Lord’s declaration.“ Even so, I loved Jacob,

I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?[ Was] not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

“ I have shown love to you,” says the LORD, but you say,“ How have you shown love to us?”“ Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the LORD explains,“ yet I chose Jacob

“ I have loved you,” says Yahweh. Yet you say,“ How have you loved us?”“ Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” says Yahweh,“ Yet I loved Jacob;

The Lord appeared to us in the past. He said,“ I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. I have kept on loving you with a kindness that never fails.

The Lord says,“ People of Israel, you are my servants. Family of Jacob, I have chosen you. You are the children of my friend Abraham.I gathered you from one end of the earth to the other. From the farthest places on earth I brought you together. I said,‘ You are my servants.’ I have chosen you. I have not turned my back on you.

But the Lord loved your people of long ago very much. You are their children. And he chose you above all the other nations. His love and his promise remain with you to this very day.

You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth to be his people.The Lord chose you because he loved you very much. He didn’t choose you because you had more people than other nations. In fact, you had the smallest number of all.The Lord chose you because he loved you. He wanted to keep the promise he had made to your people of long ago. That’s why he used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt. He bought you back from the land where you were slaves. He set you free from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac.Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice.It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told,“ The older son will serve the younger one.”( Genesis 25:23)It is written,“ I chose Jacob instead of Esau.”( Malachi 1:2, 3)

“ You have spoken with pride against me,” says the Lord.“ But you ask,‘ What have we spoken against you?’“ You have said,‘ It is useless to serve God. What do we gain by obeying his laws? And what do we get by pretending to be sad in front of the Lord?

He loved your people of long ago. He chose their children after them. So he brought you out of Egypt. He used his great strength to do it.

As far as the good news is concerned, the people of Israel are enemies. This is for your good. But as far as God’s choice is concerned, the people of Israel are loved. This is because of God’s promises to the founders of our nation.God does not take back his gifts. He does not change his mind about those he has chosen.

The Most High God gave the nations their lands. He divided up the human race. He set up borders for the nations. He did it based on the number of the angels in his heavenly court.The Lord’ s people are his share. Jacob is the nation he has received.The Lord found Israel in a desert. He found them in an empty and windy land. He took care of them and kept them safe. He guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.He was like an eagle that stirs up its nest. It hovers over its little ones. It spreads out its wings to catch them. It carries them up in the air on its feathers.The Lord was the only one who led Israel. No other god was with them.The Lord made them ride on the highest places in the land. He fed them what grew in the fields. He gave them the sweetest honey. He fed them olive oil from a rocky hillside.He gave them butter and milk from the herds and flocks. He fed them the fattest lambs and goats. He gave them the best of Bashan’s rams. He fed them the finest wheat. They drank the bubbling red juice of grapes.

You have worn out the Lord by what you keep saying.“ How have we worn him out?” you ask. You have done it by saying,“ All those who do evil things are good in the Lord’ s sight. And he is pleased with them.” Or you ask,“ Is God really fair?”

You are priceless to me. I love you and honor you. So I will trade other people for you. I will give up other nations to save your lives.

The Lord stood beside the stairway. He said,“ I am the Lord. I am the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your children after you the land you are lying on.They will be like the dust of the earth that can’t be counted. They will spread out to the west and to the east. They will spread out to the north and to the south. All nations on earth will be blessed because of you and your children after you.

So Jacob went to him and kissed him. When Isaac smelled the clothes, he gave Jacob his blessing. He said,“ It really is the smell of my son. It’s like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.May God give you dew from heaven. May he give you the richness of the earth. May he give you plenty of grain and fresh wine.May nations serve you. May they bow down to you. Rule over your brothers. May the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed. And may those who bless you be blessed.”When Isaac finished blessing him, Jacob left his father. Just then his brother Esau came in from hunting.

You have turned away from my rules. You have not obeyed them. You have lived that way ever since the days of your people of long ago. Return to me. Then I will return to you,” says the Lord who rules over all.“ But you ask,‘ How can we return?’“ Will a mere human being dare to steal from God? But you rob me!“ You ask,‘ How are we robbing you?’“ By holding back your offerings. You also steal from me when you do not bring me a tenth of everything you produce.

May the Mighty God bless you. May he give you children. May he make your family larger until you become a community of nations.May he give you and your children after you the blessing he gave to Abraham. Then you can take over the land where you now live as an outsider. It’s the land God gave to Abraham.”

“ You who are now living, consider my message. I am saying,“ Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been like a land of deep darkness? Why do my people say,‘ We are free to wander. We won’t come to you anymore’?

He said to me,‘ I am going to give you children. I will make your family very large. I will make you a community of nations. And I will give this land to your children after you. It will belong to them forever.’

The Lord says,“ What did your people of long ago find wrong with me? Why did they wander so far away from me? They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless.

“ A son honors his father. A slave honors his master. If I am a father, where is the honor I should have? If I am a master, where is the respect you should give me?” says the Lord who rules over all.“ You priests look down on me.“ But you ask,‘ How have we looked down on you?’“ You sacrifice‘ unclean’ food on my altar.“ But you ask,‘ How have we made you“ unclean”?’“ You do it by looking down on my altar.

Isaac began to shake all over. He said,“ Then who hunted a wild animal and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came. I gave him my blessing. And he will certainly be blessed!”

The Lord said to her,“ Two nations are in your body. Two tribes that are now inside you will be separated. One nation will be stronger than the other. The older son will serve the younger one.”

Then the man said,“ Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have wrestled with God and with people. And you have won.”Jacob said,“ Please tell me your name.” But he replied,“ Why do you want to know my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.So Jacob named the place Peniel. He said,“ I saw God face to face. But I’m still alive!”

But the man wanted to make himself look good. So he asked Jesus,“ And who is my neighbor?”