"You men who are stiff-neckedand uncircumcisedin heartand earsare alwaysresistingthe HolySpirit;you are doing justas your fathersdid.
However, they did not listen,but stiffenedtheir necklike their fathers,whodid not believein the LORDtheir God.
"Nowdo not stiffenyour necklike your fathers,but yieldto the LORDand enterHis sanctuarywhichHe has consecratedforever,and servethe LORDyour God,that His burningangermay turnawayfrom you.
"But they, our fathers,actedarrogantly;They becamestubbornand would not listento Your commandments.
"However, You borewith them for manyyears,And admonishedthem by Your SpiritthroughYour prophets,Yet they would not giveear.Therefore You gavethem into the handof the peoplesof the lands.
Do not liftup your hornon high,Do not speakwith insolentpride.'"
And not be like their fathers,A stubbornand rebelliousgeneration,A generationthat did not prepareits heartAnd whose spiritwas not faithfulto God.
The LORDsaidto Moses,"I have seenthispeople,and behold,they are an obstinatepeople.
"[Go up] to a landflowingwith milkand honey;for I will not goup in your midst,becauseyou are an obstinatepeople,and I mightdestroyyou on the way."
For the LORDhad saidto Moses,"Sayto the sonsof Israel,You are an obstinatepeople;should I goup in your midstfor onemoment,I would destroyyou. Nowtherefore, putoffyour ornamentsfrom you, that I may knowwhatI shall dowith you.'"
He said,"IfnowI have foundfavorin Your sight,O Lord,I pray,let the Lordgoalong in our midst,eventhoughthe peopleare so obstinate,and pardonour iniquityand our sin,and takeus as Your own possession."
"BecauseI knowthat you are obstinate,And your neckis an ironsinewAnd your foreheadbronze,
But they rebelledAnd grievedHis HolySpirit;Therefore He turnedHimself to become their enemy,He foughtagainst them.
"Yet they did not listenor inclinetheir ears,but stiffenedtheir necksin order not to listenor takecorrection.
"Circumciseyourselves to the LORDAnd removethe foreskinsof your heart,Menof Judahand inhabitantsof Jerusalem,OrelseMy wrathwill goforthlike fireAnd burnwith noneto quenchit, Becauseof the evilof your deeds."
To whomshall I speakand givewarningThat they may hear?Behold,their earsare closedAnd they cannotlisten.Behold,the wordof the LORDhas becomea reproachto them; They havenodelightin it.
"I am sendingyou to them who are stubbornand obstinatechildren,and you shall sayto them, 'Thussaysthe LordGOD.'
when you broughtin foreigners,uncircumcisedin heartand uncircumcisedin flesh,to be in My sanctuaryto profaneit, [even] My house,when you offeredMy food,the fatand the blood;for they madeMy covenantvoid--[this] in additionto allyour abominations.
Thussaysthe LordGOD,"Noforeigneruncircumcisedin heartand uncircumcisedin flesh,of allthe foreignerswhoare amongthe sonsof Israel,shall enterMy sanctuary.
I alsowas actingwith hostilityagainstthem, to bringthem into the landof their enemies--oriftheir uncircumcisedheartbecomeshumbledso that they thenmakeamendsfor their iniquity,
for in the wildernessof Zin,during the strifeof the congregation,you rebelledagainstMy commandto treatMe as holybeforetheir eyesat the water."(Theseare the watersof Meribahof Kadeshin the wildernessof Zin.)
But they were unableto copewith the wisdomand the Spiritwith whichhe was speaking.
"But the one who was injuringhis neighborpushed him away,saying,WHOMADEYOU A RULERAND JUDGEOVERUS?
"ThisMoseswhomthey disowned,saying,'WHOMADEYOU A RULERAND A JUDGE?'is the one whomGodsent[to be] botha rulerand a delivererwith the helpof the angelwho appearedto him in the thorn bush.
"Our fatherswere unwillingto be obedientto him, but repudiatedhim and in their heartsturned backto Egypt,
"The patriarchsbecame jealousof Josephand soldhim into Egypt.[Yet] Godwas with him,
For indeedcircumcisionis of valueifyou practicethe Law;but ifyou are a transgressorof the Law,your circumcisionhas becomeuncircumcision.
Do not grievethe HolySpiritof God,by whomyou were sealedfor the dayof redemption.
"So circumciseyour heart,and stiffenyour necknolonger.
"Moreover the LORDyour Godwill circumciseyour heartand the heartof your descendants,to lovethe LORDyour Godwith allyour heartand with allyour soul,sothat you may live.
"For I knowyour rebellionand your stubbornness;behold,while I am stillalivewith you today,you have beenrebelliousagainstthe LORD;howmuchmore,then, aftermy death?
"The LORDspokefurther to me, saying,'I have seenthispeople,and indeed,it is a stubbornpeople.
"Know,then, [it is] not because of your righteousness[that] the LORDyour Godis givingyou thisgoodlandto possess,for you are a stubbornpeople.
for we are the [true] circumcision,who worshipin the Spiritof Godand gloryin ChristJesusand putnoconfidencein the flesh,
and in Him you were alsocircumcisedwith a circumcisionmade without hands,in the removalof the bodyof the fleshby the circumcisionof Christ;
