Afterward, Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "Listen, you are well now; so stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."

What shall we say, then? Should we continue to live in sin so that God's grace will increase?

If people have escaped from the corrupting forces of the world through their knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are again caught and conquered by them, such people are in worse condition at the end than they were at the beginning.

It would have been much better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them.

Jewish men were marrying foreign women, and so God's holy people had become contaminated. The leaders and officials were the chief offenders.

Do not make any agreement with them or with their gods.

You must not make any covenant with the people who live in this land. You must tear down their altars.' But you have not done what I told you. You have done just the opposite!

At that time I also discovered that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners.

Are we then to follow your example and disobey our God by marrying foreign women?"

Now, don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation."

"Move back from these people, and I will destroy them immediately."

"Move back from these people, and I will destroy them on the spot!" The two of them bowed down with their faces to the ground,

Even at Mount Sinai you made the LORD angry---angry enough to destroy you.

Don't try to stop me. I intend to destroy them so that no one will remember them any longer. Then I will make you the father of a nation larger and more powerful than they are.'

Now for a short time, O LORD our God, you have been gracious to us and have let some of us escape from slavery and live in safety in this holy place. You have let us escape from slavery and have given us new life.

I would have destroyed them completely, so that no one would remember them.

But I could not let their enemies boast that they had defeated my people, when it was I myself who had crushed them.'

If the LORD Almighty had not let some of the people survive, Jerusalem would have been totally destroyed, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

I will come to you and save you. I will destroy all the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not destroy you. I will not let you go unpunished; but when I punish you, I will be fair. I, the LORD, have spoken."

"I will let some escape the slaughter and be scattered among the nations,