I punished you, but it did no good; you would not let me correct you. Like a raging lion, you have murdered your prophets.

Your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and innocent, not with the blood of burglars. "But in spite of all this,

Stop taking advantage of aliens, orphans, and widows. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop worshiping other gods, for that will destroy you.

"I, the LORD, command you to do what is just and right. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him. Do not mistreat or oppress aliens, orphans, or widows; and do not kill innocent people in this holy place.

But you can only see your selfish interests; you kill the innocent and violently oppress your people. The LORD has spoken.

Then the LORD said, "Why have you done this terrible thing? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground, like a voice calling for revenge.

Reuben said, "I told you not to harm the boy, but you wouldn't listen. And now we are being paid back for his death."

If you did this, you would defile the land where you are living. Murder defiles the land, and except by the death of the murderer there is no way to perform the ritual of purification for the land where someone has been murdered.

Do this, so that innocent people will not die and so that you will not be guilty of putting them to death in the land that the LORD is giving you.

and especially because of all the innocent people he had killed. The LORD could not forgive Manasseh for that.

(SEE 6:16)

and you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets.

Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started!

And so I tell you that I will send you prophets and wise men and teachers; you will kill some of them, crucify others, and whip others in the synagogues and chase them from town to town.

I tell you indeed: the punishment for all these murders will fall on the people of this day!

and made plans to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

Judas, the traitor, spoke up. "Surely, Teacher, you don't mean me?" he asked. Jesus answered, "So you say."

He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!" He said this and died.

who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. How displeasing they are to God! How hostile they are to everyone!

They even tried to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles the message that would bring them salvation. In this way they have brought to completion all the sins they have always committed. And now God's anger has at last come down on them!

They poured out the blood of God's people and of the prophets, and so you have given them blood to drink. They are getting what they deserve!"