⁹ if he walks in ^(A)My statutes and keeps My ordinances so as to deal faithfully—^(B)he is righteous and will certainly ^(C)live,” declares the Lord God.

¹⁸ “Instead, I said to their ^[a](A)children in the wilderness, ‘^(B)Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. ^19 (C)I am the Lord your God; ^(D)walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and ^[b]follow them. ^20 (E)Sanctify My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

³ Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “^(A)Return to Me,” declares the Lord of armies, “^[a]that I may return to you,” says the Lord of armies. ⁴ “Do not be ^(B)like your fathers, to whom the ^(C)former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “^(D)Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did ^(E)not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord. ⁵ “Your ^(F)fathers, where are they? And the ^(G)prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not ^[b](H)overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘^(I)Just as the Lord of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”