Be glad that we belong to him; let all who worship him rejoice.

Let me see the prosperity of your people and share in the happiness of your nation, in the glad pride of those who belong to you.

You will toss them in the air; the wind will carry them off, and they will be scattered by the storm. Then you will be happy because I am your God; you will praise me, the holy God of Israel.

I, the LORD, will rescue all the descendants of Jacob, and they will give me praise.

Anyone in the land who asks for a blessing will ask to be blessed by the faithful God. Whoever takes an oath will swear by the name of the faithful God. The troubles of the past will be gone and forgotten."

it will be right for you to swear by my name. Then all the nations will ask me to bless them, and they will praise me."

The LORD says, "The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth.

If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me, because my love is constant, and I do what is just and right. These are the things that please me. I, the LORD, have spoken."

But that is not all; we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God's friends.

This means that no one can boast in God's presence.

So then, as the scripture says, "Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done."

Even those who practice circumcision do not obey the Law; they want you to be circumcised so that they can boast that you submitted to this physical ceremony.

As for me, however, I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; for by means of his cross the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world.

It is we, not they, who have received the true circumcision, for we worship God by means of his Spirit and rejoice in our life in union with Christ Jesus. We do not put any trust in external ceremonies.

Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up,

and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant.