But I will punish the people who love to worship filthy, disgusting idols. I will punish them for what they have done." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.

"Now then, my flock, I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I will judge each of you and separate the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats.

"So now, I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I will judge between you strong sheep and the weak sheep.

But I will rescue my sheep and not let them be mistreated any more. I will judge each of my sheep and separate the good from the bad.

Now give them this answer: 'I swear that as surely as I live, I will do to you just what you have asked. I, the LORD, have spoken.

I promised to let you live there, but not one of you will, except Caleb and Joshua.

"I will give the command and shake the people of Israel like grain in a sieve. I will shake them among the nations to remove all who are worthless.

The sinners among my people will be killed in war---all those who say, 'God will not let any harm come near us.' "

and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die.

And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the LORD's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the LORD the right kind of offerings.

The LORD Almighty says, "The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them.

On the day when I act, you will overcome the wicked, and they will be like dust under your feet.

And don't think you can escape punishment by saying that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham!

The ax is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.

He has his winnowing shovel with him to thresh out all the grain. He will gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out."

and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left.

And Isaiah exclaims about Israel: "Even if the people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand by the sea, yet only a few of them will be saved;

It is as Isaiah had said before, "If the Lord Almighty had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."

I am about to punish you prophets who have false visions and make misleading predictions. You will not be there when my people gather to make decisions; your names will not be included in the list of the citizens of Israel; you will never return to your land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

I promised to let you live there, but not one of you will, except Caleb and Joshua.

I was angry and made a solemn promise: 'You will never enter the land where I would have given you rest.' "

None of the people of Judah who are left and have come to Egypt to live will escape or survive. Not one of them will return to Judah, where they long to live once again. No one will return except a few refugees."

But even then God was not pleased with most of them, and so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.

Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it.

For even though you know all this, I want to remind you of how the Lord once rescued the people of Israel from Egypt, but afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

People will be killed everywhere, and those who survive will acknowledge that I am the LORD.

and will punish them. They have escaped one fire, but now fire will burn them up. When I punish them, you will know that I am the LORD.

And you two sisters---I will punish you for your immorality and your sin of worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD."

The LORD has revealed himself by his righteous judgments, and the wicked are trapped by their own deeds.