You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.

你称为犹太人，又倚靠律法，且指着神夸口；

但是你，你既自称为犹太人，倚靠律法，以上帝夸口，

但是你，你既自称为犹太人，倚靠律法，以神夸口，

你自称是犹太人，倚仗上帝所赐的律法，自夸与上帝有特别的关系；

你身为犹太人，倚靠律法，仗着神夸口，

你既然称为犹太人，依靠律法，以神夸耀；

你稱為猶太人，又倚靠律法，且指着神誇口；

但是你，你既自稱為猶太人，倚靠律法，以上帝誇口，

但是你，你既自稱為猶太人，倚靠律法，以神誇口，

你自稱是猶太人，倚仗上帝所賜的律法，自誇與上帝有特別的關係；

你身為猶太人，倚靠律法，仗著神誇口，

但是你呢、你既名為猶太人，既依靠着律法，並拿上帝來誇口；

你既然稱為猶太人，依靠律法，以神誇耀；

爾名為猶太人、以律自恃、以上帝自詡、

爾稱為猶太人、以律法是依、以識上帝為榮、

爾稱為猶太人、以律法是依、以天主為榮、為榮或作自誇

倘爾擁有猶太人之名、以法為恃、以天主為誇、

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;

Suppose you call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law. You brag that you know God.

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God

Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law, and boast in God,

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God,

Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,

But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in God,

Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, boast in God,

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God

Indeed you bear the name of a Jew, rest on the law, glory in God,

You rulers make decisions based on bribes; you priests teach God’s laws only for a price; you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord.“ No harm can come to us,” you say,“ for the Lord is here among us.”

You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

“ Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and call on the God of Israel. You don’t keep your promises,even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“ Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes.

Don’t just say to each other,‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.

They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say,“ Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too.

In the Lord all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast.

Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue— those liars who say they are Jews but are not— to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

Then they cursed him and said,“ You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.

For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin— a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant,“ The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!”But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.“‘ Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie!Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours,and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant,“ We are safe!”— only to go right back to all those evils again?

“ I know about your suffering and your poverty— but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.

“ But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said.“ We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean,‘ You will be set free’?”

“ Right!” Jesus told him.“ Do this and you will live!”

On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.

And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world— from east and west— and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.But many Israelites— those for whom the Kingdom was prepared— will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision.No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”

No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied,“ We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

“ Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:“ I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive— but you are dead.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

“ You and I are Jews by birth, not‘ sinners’ like the Gentiles.

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called“ uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.