This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these commandments and judgments: and to keep and fulfill them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.17 Thou hast chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways and keep his ceremonies, and precepts, and judgments, and obey his command.18 And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments:19 And to make thee higher than all nations which he hath created, to his own praise, and name, and glory: that thou mayst be a holy people of the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.
These are evidently symbolic—hands, of action; heart, of deliberation; mouth, of speech. There is an excellent text on the subject of the penitent: "You have chosen God today to be your God, and the Lord has chosen you today to be his people." God makes his own the person who is eager to serve truth and reality and comes as a suppliant. Even if he is only one in number, he is honored on equal terms with the whole people. He is a part of the people. He becomes the complement of the people once he is reestablished out of his previous position, and the whole in fact takes its name from the part.
ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.2 Blessed are they who search his testimonies: that seek him with their whole heart.4 Thou hast commanded thy commandments to be kept most diligently.5 O! that my ways may be directed to keep thy justifications.7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of thy justice.8 I will keep thy justifications: O! do not thou utterly forsake me.
And as he is Firstborn among brothers and rose from the dead "the firstfruits of them that slept"; so, since it became him "in all things to have the preeminence," therefore he is created "a beginning of ways," that we, walking along it and entering through him who says, "I am the Way" and "the Door" and partaking of the knowledge of the Father, may also hear the words, "Blessed are the undefiled in the Way," and "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy.44 But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you:45 That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.46 For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this?47 And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?†48 Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.†
About CSB. A personal translation of the New Testament, rendered directly from the public-domain Greek in a literary style — not a scholarly critical edition, and not for liturgical or doctrinal authority. It is one reader's work, offered for enjoyment; where it matters, weigh it against an established translation. (Placeholder text — final wording to come.)