Then some people said, “Come on! Let us consider how to deal with Jeremiah! There will still be priests to instruct us, wise men to give us advice, and prophets to declare God’s word. Come on! Let’s bring charges against him and get rid of him! Then we will not need to pay attention to anything he says.”

When they came they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

Moreover, at that same time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to keep in the land which you are about to enter and possess.

When your children ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?”

Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today.

Today the Lord your God is commanding you to keep these statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul.

You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.

No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin.

and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. That man is righteous; he will certainly live, declares the sovereign Lord.

He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin.

Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

One statute must apply to you who belong to the congregation and to the resident foreigner who is living among you, as a permanent statute for your future generations. You and the resident foreigner will be alike before the Lord.

Now these are the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed

“We have blatantly rebelled; you have not forgiven.”

So King Darius issued the written interdict.

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

This I command you – to love one another.

If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against someone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there.

and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.”

You must observe my regulations and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. I am the Lord your God.