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“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (JOHN 3:16).
1, 2. (a) What is sin, and how can we defeat it? (See also “Big Idea.”)
Sin is disobedience to Jehovah's laws, and it is something we all commit because of our imperfection. But with Jehovah's help, we can fight against it and overcome it.
For sin is a terrible enemy that none of us can overcome on our own, since we all sin daily.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Sin is disobedience to Jehovah's laws, and it is something we all commit because of our imperfection. But with Jehovah's help, we can fight against it and overcome it.
And according to the Bible, the word sin can have different meanings. For example, sin is doing something that Jehovah considers not right, but it is also failing to
do something that Jehovah considers we should do, and on the other hand, the imperfection that we have inherited can also be called sin.
Romans 5:12 says that “through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death.” However, Romans 6:23 gives us hope, saying that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we have the opportunity to defeat sin and live forever.
And sin is also like a death sentence, because it separates us from Jehovah and leads us to death.
When I was preparing the study, I was very struck by the definition of sin, which, as has been said, is not only committing a sin or doing something that Jehovah does not like, but also not doing what Jehovah asks us to do. And then I thought about how we could put it into our lives and adapt it to our daily life. For example, one of the things that came to mind was the text of Ephesians 4:26 when it says, “When you are angry, do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” In other words, something so simple that we can see that it could be getting angry and not making peace is a sin.
I really liked Romans 6:23, it makes two things clear to us: no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, no matter how good our disposition is, without Jehovah it is impossible not to be able to overcome sin and it also makes it clear that through his undeserved gift we can attain eternal life through Jesus Christ.
And something else that is made very clear from the beginning is that to know what a sin is, we have to be guided by what is valid, the criteria or point of view of Jehovah, because people today and institutions are changing with respect to what they think is a sin, what was once sin is now not sin, etc.
1, 2. (b) What will we see in this article and in the other study articles in this issue of The Watchtower? (See also “Note to the Reader” in this issue.)
In these articles we will learn how Jehovah has shown his love for mankind by helping us overcome sin and death. We will also see how people in Bible times pleased God, and how Jesus was key to our salvation.
In Genesis 3:15, Jehovah gives the first ray of hope by promising a seed that would defeat Satan and his effects. Over the centuries, that promise developed, and these articles explain how sacrifices and faith in Jehovah were the means by which humans were able to draw near to God and receive his favor.
WHAT DID JEHOVAH DO TO GIVE US HOPE?
3. How did Adam and Eve become sinners?
Adam and Eve became sinners when they disobeyed Jehovah, eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, influenced by Satan. That disobedience brought sin and death to humanity.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Genesis 3:1-6 tells how Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve into disobeying Jehovah, and Adam also decided to follow that path. As a result, the words of Genesis 2:17 were fulfilled, where Jehovah had warned them that they would die if they ate from the forbidden tree. From that moment on, sin and death began to affect all of humanity.
As we well know, Jehovah gave them laws that they had to follow, when he created them he formed a family for them so that they would be happy, since on Earth they had to take care of themselves just like the animals, but the bad Angel came and rebelled against Jehovah and made them sin, they were not there at that moment, they did not remember what Jehovah had told them, but rather they looked out for themselves, and then, of course they sinned and all that happiness fell apart, so that is why sin entered the world and we have all been carrying it ever since.
Jehovah gave them everything that we would like to have, he gave them a beautiful home to live in, he gave them a partner to live with, he gave them a sense of filling the whole earth, everything he gave them was wonderful. But they did not give it the value it had, they were ungrateful and allowed themselves to be deceived by someone who not only did not love Jehovah, but did not love them either, because what they achieved precisely was that they sinned and lost all those wonderful things that Jehovah had given them.
Yes unfortunately after they sinned we had to face the consequences and this for all of us did not begin to grow old, get sick and finally
die.
4. Why does Jehovah hate sin, and why does he help us fight against it? (Romans 8:20, 21)
Isaiah 59:2 says that sin is what leads us to death, that is why Jehovah hates sin but loves us so much that he also gave hope to all of humanity.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jehovah hates sin because it separates us from Him and leads to death. However, He helps us fight against sin because He loves us and wants us to live forever.
Isaiah 59:2 says that “your sins have hidden his face from you.” Sin alienates us from Jehovah, and that is why He hates it. But as Romans 8:20-21 shows, God has provided a way to free us from sin, showing us his immense love by offering the hope of eternal life to those who sincerely seek him.
Yes, also because that was not Jehovah's purpose, in the beginning he created Adam and Eve with the purpose of filling people with perfect beings who would worship only Jehovah and who could take care of that paradise, then as sin distances us from our father and also leads us to death, it is the opposite of what Jehovah wanted for us in the beginning.
Gabriela, in verse 20 we see a great effort that does not achieve the objective that is pursued, which is to comply with Jehovah's standards. However, at the end of verse 20 and the beginning of verse 21, Jehovah as a loving father and creator gives hope and immediately offers it to all humanity that wishes to serve him wholeheartedly and wishes to receive his help.
Yes, adding to the comment, the study note that appears in the Study Bible explains that the one who subjected creation to uselessness was Jehovah himself in what good sense, even though Adam and Eve could only transmit imperfection, Jehovah would allow it, but as has been well explained, on the basis that they would soon be freed from that condition.
5. When and how did Jehovah give humans a ray of hope? (Genesis 3:15)
Jehovah gave the first ray of hope to humanity immediately after the sin of Adam and Eve, by promising that a descendant would defeat Satan.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Genesis 3:15 was Jehovah’s first promise of a seed that would crush Satan. Not only did this verse indicate that there would be a solution to sin, but it also showed God’s love by offering a future hope for all humans. Although that seed, Jesus, would suffer temporarily, his ultimate victory would bring life to humanity.
Well, it was when Jehovah pronounced his sentence against Satan, at that very moment he already spoke of a descendant, as we have read in Genesis 3:15, who in time would crush Satan and fix all the problems that arose in the Garden of Eden.
So we see that it was at that very painful moment for Jehovah when he analyzed all the facts, saw the complete picture and made that very positive promise that gives us hope, so although it was not an immediate solution, he did it immediately.
But Jehovah decided that all that pain would be worth it, because in this way millions of human beings would convert and be saved from sin and death.
And how well 1 John 3:8 explains it, it says that he has been sinning from the beginning, all sin comes from him. However, the son of God Jesus came precisely to undo all those evil works.
Yes, to illustrate it would be something like if a chess player plays against the best player in the world, in one move it seems that the game is going to end, Satan believes, by linking it with the previous paragraph, that he had already completely thwarted the works of Jehovah, but now Jehovah, as the great chess player that he is, makes a single move that disconcerts him and the one who enters checkmate, according to Genesis 3:15, is him, thus we see how Jehovah has everything under control and his purpose continues despite the difficulty.
WHAT DID HUMAN BEINGS DO IN BIBLICAL TIMES TO PLEASE GOD DESPITE BEING IMPERFECT?
6. What did men of faith like Abel and Noah do to get closer to Jehovah?
Abel and Noah showed their faith in Jehovah by offering sacrifices that pleased God, allowing them to draw closer to Him.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
For Abel loved the Lord so much that he wanted to thank him and draw near to him.
So he made a sacrifice by offering him several firstborn of his flock.
Hebrews 11:4 tells us that “by faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice of greater worth than Cain.” This act of faith was approved by Jehovah, and later Noah also offered sacrifices that were accepted. (Gen. 8:20, 21) These examples show that, despite being imperfect, humans can draw close to Jehovah through obedience and faith.
And later Jehovah also approved sacrifices from other faithful servants. For example, Noah, who is mentioned in Genesis 8:20,21, was so pleased with Jehovah that he says that a very pleasant aroma reached him, and that Jehovah said that he would never again destroy all living beings in this way as he did in the flood. So we see that Jehovah was very pleased with these sacrifices that these faithful servants made.
This shows that even though we humans are imperfect, we can please Jehovah with our sacrifice.
And in the note that comes in the paragraph it tells us that Jehovah accepted those sacrifices, because he really knew that some time later Jesus Christ was going to sacrifice his life to save us all, which was a similar act and he accepted them for that reason.
And the example of Abel is very beautiful for me too, because the monster had a great love for Jehovah, because he gave something that is very important to him too, because he was surely with the sheep every day and he loved them and it may be that he had never killed an animal before, but he knew that for Jehovah it is eh he wanted to show Jehovah that he wants to give something important to him and it is a good example for us also, a very good example that of Abel.
Yes, in Genesis 4:4 it says that apart from presenting his flocks and offering his firstborn, he also offered their fat, including their fat. We know that their fat was an important thing in many of the sacrifices that were made in Israel, because it was a part that was considered very important, so Abel even wanted to offer that to Jehovah, a sign that even though he did not yet know him very well, he loved him.
7. What do we learn from Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son?
Abraham's example teaches us that Jehovah was willing to sacrifice his own Son, Jesus, to save us from sin, which demonstrates his immense love for humanity.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, we know that Jehovah asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. This was a very painful request for Abraham, but he was willing to obey and was about to do so when Jehovah told him to stop.
In Genesis 22:1-18, Abraham demonstrated incredible faith by being willing to sacrifice Isaac. This act foreshadows what Jehovah did for us by sacrificing his only begotten Son, as John 3:16 says. Jehovah loves humanity so much that he was willing to suffer the loss of his Son in order to offer us salvation.
So with this, what Jehovah really wanted to show us is how much that sacrifice would cost him, and that he would be willing to do it because of how much he loves us.
Yes in the story of Genesis 22 there are some details that draw attention, because verse 2, for example, says take your son, eh, your only son, whom you love so much, it says Isaac, and present him as a burnt offering, how well this reflects the position of Jehovah, right, his only son, the only begotten son, whom you love so much, right? and then there are details that of course one thinks about and it says that Abraham tied his son hand and foot, you have to put yourself in that context and now he takes the knife, right? eh, he grabbed the knife, it says in verse 10 to kill his son, that is, this is not only the one who was willing to kill his son, but everything he had to go through until he got to do that, right, and that is a good reflection of how Jehovah loves us and how willing he has been, out of that love, to forgive our sins and therefore give us eternal life.
And this story is so so impressive and we must see it that way, even Jehovah only directly called Abraham his friend for station, eh, as was mentioned in the speech James 2:23, and that makes us see the immense value that Jehovah put into wanting to make that sacrifice for Abraham, and how it shows us the great
value that Jehovah sees in giving up his own son.
8. What did the sacrifices made under the Law of Moses show? (Leviticus 4:27-29; 17:11).
The sacrifices under the Law of Moses symbolized the perfect sacrifice that would come with Jesus, who would completely take away the sin of humanity.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Leviticus 17:11 explains that “the blood…makes atonement for the soul.” Animal sacrifices showed the necessity of bloodshed for the forgiveness of sins, but they were only a shadow of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice (Heb. 10:1–4). Jesus, as “the Lamb of God,” would take away the sins of all who would have faith in Him (John 1:29).
They revealed their sins, because as we read in verse 11, the blood in the blood is in the life and the blood is what makes atonement through the life that is in it. So this prefigures the suffering and death of Jesus, who through his blood completely atoned for sin.
Jehovah gave us these sacrifices to teach us, to show us how much he loved us, how he loved humanity, but in a much more personal way, how he loved us, me as a person and the people I love.
Yes, we also learn how Jehovah, so to speak, through the Prophets, was giving clues of what was to come. Then he said what was going to happen, that he was coming to help people who were like lost sheep, and he himself says that he was going to offer Jesus without being guilty of anything, and that he would be like a sheep going to the slaughter.
It is very significant, because it addresses each one of us individually, we who have to accept the conditions that Jehovah sets for us in order to survive.
And it is certainly a sacrifice that affects all of humanity who wants to have faith in him, but one has to see it as personal for each one of us.
This helps us to meditate and to value what Jehovah did for us. If one thinks now of a father today who we see giving his son for us, only for us, and dying for us, how grateful we would be for that father, for what he has done so that we may survive, because sometimes when one meditates on this, what Jehovah has done for us, for each one of us, perhaps we come to feel or value even more the sacrifice that he made by giving his son.
WHAT DID JESUS DO TO RESCUE HUMANITY?
9. What did John the Baptist reveal? (Hebrews 9:22; 10:1-4, 12).
John the Baptist revealed that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” who would take away the sins of the world, fulfilling the promise of the Seed.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
John 1:29 portrays Jesus as the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world. This title connected Jesus to the sacrifices mentioned in the Law and prophecy. His sacrifice would fulfill the law that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22), providing a definitive solution to sin.
Referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world revealed that Jesus was the offspring God had promised.
We learn that although the offering of sacrifice through the Aaronic priesthood allowed the people to have an approved standing before God, this did not completely free them from sin, but only the priestly service of Christ and his sacrifice could accomplish this.
It is observed that those sacrifices that were made of animals, these were necessary, but they were not permanent in the case of Jesus only with that sacrifice that was that offspring that God had promised all human beings had the hope of a solid hope of overcoming death and sin.
Yes, the Bible teaches us that the justice of God through one man. Well, we have all been sinners, but through this sacrifice we can all attain life, and what is made clear in Hebrews 10:12, it only had to be once, that sacrifice already cleanses us, we have to continue exercising faith in him.
10. How did Jesus show that he came to call sinners?
Jesus showed that he came to call sinners by approaching them with compassion and forgiving their sins, as in the case of the woman who washed his feet with tears.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, he knew that the root of humanity's suffering was sin, and he also said the same thing in Matthew 9:12 and 13, saying that the healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick do, and in 13 he says, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners," and he really demonstrated this because he took the initiative in speaking to people who had this reputation of being sinners.
Jesus paid special attention to those who felt very bad because they were sinners and invited them to follow him.
In Matthew 9:12-13, Jesus said that “those who are healthy do not need a doctor, but those who are sick do.” This statement reveals that he came to help those who recognize their spiritual need and struggle with sin. His compassion and mercy reflected Jehovah’s desire to save all who seek repentance.
Yes, in the paragraph there are several circumstances in which he demonstrated that he did not only come to call, that he especially came to call sinners, an example of this is seen in Luke 7:37-50, when even a man told him No, if he knew What kind of person he is, he would not allow it. But he did know, no, because he could also read hearts, that is why in 49 he told him no, that he forgave his sins and even allowed him to touch him and wash his feet with his tears.
Sara , following the comment, it is true that Jesus Christ took the initiative and he focused on those who felt very bad for being sinners, as has been commented in this story. So it is not only that they needed to do wrong, but also, as she said, he could read hearts and saw that those people who were seen by others as very sinful, had a very good attitude in relation to how bad they felt precisely because of the mistakes they were making.
11. Why were sinners drawn to Jesus?
Because Jesus perfectly reflected Jehovah's mercy.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Sinners were drawn to Jesus because he treated them with empathy and compassion, offering them hope for forgiveness and change.
Luke 15:1-2 describes how sinners came to Jesus because he showed deep understanding and compassion toward them. Jesus reflected Jehovah’s mercy by showing them that despite their mistakes, they could receive forgiveness if they put faith in him and changed their lives.
If he was so empathetic and compassionate that he even made sinners want to approach him, he really congratulated him and rewarded him for showing that they had faith in him. How well he played a good role in imitating his father Jehovah, since that reflected and made sinners want to do it.
And also what he achieved with this attitude was that sinners wanted to change, as mentioned in the story of Luke 526 and 28 in the story of this tax collector of Levi, he left everything to follow him.
Yes, and we see that even people who were deeply involved in sin were attracted to Jesus because perhaps no one had ever treated them with so much love or with those beautiful qualities that Jesus had. We could not imagine the type of environment in which these people would move, or the kind of treatment they had received, and they were able to experience firsthand through Jesus the mercy of Jehovah, and as the paragraph says here, that is really what motivated and what Jesus wanted to do: for these people to fight against sin.
12. What did Jesus teach about his own death?
Jesus taught that he would be betrayed and executed on a stake, and that his sacrifice would be the means of taking away the sin of the world. He further explained that his death would attract people of all kinds, and those who put their faith in him would be freed from sin (Matthew 17:22; John 12:32).
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, the Lord who after dying would attract to him all kinds of people as John 12:32 tells us, I will attract to my man of all kinds, so his death was not a defeat like the case of Adam but on the contrary, life for all the people who put faith in him, therefore those who put faith could please Jehovah and finally be freed from sin.
In John 12:32, Jesus says, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all kinds of people to myself.” This verse highlights that his death would not only be a sacrifice for humanity, but also an act of attraction that would offer hope to all people who desire to draw closer to God. Through his sacrifice, those who follow in his footsteps can be freed from sin, as also mentioned in Romans 6:18.
And since he knew very well what was going to happen to him, on several occasions he told his followers how he was going to be betrayed and how he was going to be executed on a stake and for example in Matthew 17:22, he told them that how the Son of Man was going to be delivered into the hands of men.
He also knew that his sacrifice would take away the sin of the world just as John and the prophets had proclaimed.
Yes, he also showed that he was very brave because as it says in John 10:17:1, he gave himself up voluntarily because he had great faith in his father who had promised him that he would also give him back his life.
13. How did Jesus die, and what does his death teach us about Jehovah? (See also images.)
Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tortured, and executed on a stake. Even though Jehovah deeply loved his Son, he allowed Jesus to die to give us the opportunity to have eternal life. This demonstrates Jehovah's immense love for humanity. —John 3:16.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Yes, he suffered a lot, for example because he had to endure the betrayal of one of his own. He was also arrested, insulted, slandered, condemned and even tortured. And finally, he was nailed to a stake to be executed. In other words, what he went through at all times was constant suffering.
Jehovah’s love is clearly highlighted in John 3:16, where Jesus declares: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” Jehovah allowed his beloved Son to suffer and die in order to save mankind from sin and death. This sacrifice shows us the unfathomable love of Jehovah, who was willing to suffer to see his Son go through such pain in order to give us a hope of eternal life.
And on Jehovah's part it was also a very big sacrifice because in the end if we put ourselves in Jehovah's place to be present and see how the person you love the most is being tortured and mistreated until he dies but Jehovah did not stay there alone he was aware that he had enough power to stop all that but he himself decided not to intervene because he knew what it meant for the rest of humanity then we see how great is the love that Jehovah has for us impressive.
ILLUSTRATION
In the photo in the image we can see or it helps us to understand that it was not an easy death, so to speak, but that Jesus was tortured for hours. In fact, in the center you can see how they forced him to carry his own Cross and he was so suffering that he could not even do it, they had to help him, so reading this story helps us to value even more what Jesus did and also what Jehovah did for us so that we could be free from sin.
Series of images: 1. Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. 2. With his hands tied to a pole, he is being whipped. 3. He is carrying his torture stake while other people watch. 4. He is hanging on a torture stake between two criminals while other people insult him. To free us from sin and death, Jehovah was willing to suffer unimaginable pain by allowing his Son to be executed. (See paragraph 13.)
14. What does Jesus’ sacrifice teach you?
Jesus' sacrifice is the ultimate proof of Jehovah's love for mankind. It shows us how much he is willing to do for us, even sacrificing what he loved most, to give us the opportunity to be freed from sin and death.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
What it clearly shows me is the enormous debt we have with Jehovah and with Jesus. There are times when we can feel tired or discouraged or even think that we are doing too much, however, when we meditate on the enormous debt we have and the privilege we have of having our sins forgiven and we exercise faith in Jesus, that has to motivate us to continue forward, even though there are times when we feel worse, tired, we have to meditate precisely on this and feel grateful and privileged.
1 John 4:9, 10 highlights Jesus’ sacrifice as a direct manifestation of Jehovah’s love: “God showed his love for us by sending his only begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” This act of love teaches us that Jehovah loves us not only collectively but also personally. By appreciating this sacrifice, we can be motivated to fight against sin and live in harmony with divine principles.
The sacrifice of Jesus was a clear demonstration of the great love that Jehovah feels for human beings, as he clearly tells us in 1 John 4, verses 9 and 10. God showed us his great love by sending his only begotten God as a sacrifice of Reconciliation for our sin so that we might obtain eternal life through him.
And all this, then, leads us to a very logical conclusion: if Jehovah has been willing to experience that suffering in order to sacrifice his own Son, then when he sees us also struggling to overcome sin and the tendency to do evil and we ask for his help, without a doubt we can also count on that help.
15. What must we do to benefit from Jesus' sacrifice?
Recognize this condition that we have. And then repent so that forgiveness is now extended.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
To benefit from Jesus’ sacrifice, it is essential that we repent of our sins, as Jesus and John the Baptist taught. Sincere repentance enables us to draw close to Jehovah and receive the forgiveness he offers through the sacrifice of his Son. —Matthew 3:1, 2; 4:17.
Matthew 4:17 reminds us of Jesus’ teaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repentance involves changing our mindset and abandoning behaviors that displease God. By doing so, we demonstrate our willingness to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and live according to Jehovah’s standards, leading us to enjoy the blessings of forgiveness and a close relationship with our heavenly Father.
And not only repent but something also very important that we have seen throughout the article from the beginning we see the disobedience that Adam and Eve showed led us to the situation in which we are currently, but nevertheless the obedience of Jesus Christ and the love of Jehovah is what has made us what gives us the possibility of being able to live forever we see that obedience will also save our lives.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What did Jehovah do to give us humans hope?
Jehovah gave us hope by allowing his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Through his sacrifice, we have the opportunity to receive eternal life if we put our faith in him. (John 3:16)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jehovah’s love is shown in a tangible way at John 3:16. By giving his Son to save us, Jehovah gave us a solid hope of eternal life. This hope is accessible to all who exercise faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and seek to please God through righteous and repentant living.
Well, at the same time that he gave the sentence, he organized what would be the descendants that would bring balance back to the situation that had been generated in Eden.
What did the sacrifices made under the Law of Moses show?
The sacrifices under the Law of Moses showed the need for atonement for sin and prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, which would once and for all take away the sins of humanity.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Hebrews 10:1, 4 explains that the sacrifices under the Law of Moses were “a shadow of the good things to come,” but they could not completely take away sins. These sacrifices prefigured the sacrifice of Jesus, who, by his death, would provide the ultimate means for the forgiveness of sins, thus freeing us from the bondage of sin.
For they showed that Jehovah would in the future offer a far better sacrifice capable of completely saving mankind from sin. So we can see that these sacrifices prefigure the sacrifice of the offspring of God's only begotten Son.
What did Jesus do to rescue humanity from sin and death?
Jesus offered his perfect life as a sacrifice, rescuing humanity from sin and death. Through his death, those who exercise faith in him can receive forgiveness and eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23).
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In Romans 6:23, Paul points out, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus willingly gave his life to pay the price of sin, rescuing us from eternal damnation. Because of this act of love, we have the opportunity to be freed from sin and death and live forever in God’s purpose.
Well, he was willing to come to Earth and sacrifice his life and as we have seen, he did not suffer much for each one of us.
And during his ministry, what he did was help the people who needed it most, mainly sinners. He had a path that cared for them, loved them, took care of them, and that also set an example for us.
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