The LORD had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets."

They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the LORD's command not to imitate them.

They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight, and so aroused his anger.

But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the LORD their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel.

After the LORD had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the LORD and led them into terrible sins.

until at last the LORD banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

The LORD, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple.

But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the LORD's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.

If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover.

Then I continued, "The LORD has told you people who are left in Judah not to go to Egypt. And so I warn you now

And now I have told you, but you are disobeying everything that the LORD our God sent me to tell you.

I kept sending you my servants the prophets, who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate.

But you would not listen or pay any attention. You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods.

But whenever you go into a town and are not welcomed, go out in the streets and say,

'Even the dust from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the Kingdom of God has come near you!'

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul gave his whole time to preaching the message, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

When they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes and saying to them, "If you are lost, you yourselves must take the blame for it! I am not responsible. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

In this matter, then, none of you should do wrong to other Christians or take advantage of them. We have told you this before, and we strongly warned you that the Lord will punish those who do that.

That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away.

How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true.

Be careful, then, and do not refuse to hear him who speaks. Those who refused to hear the one who gave the divine message on earth did not escape. How much less shall we escape, then, if we turn away from the one who speaks from heaven!

If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death.

with a flaming fire, to punish those who reject God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from his glorious might,

For there is no longer any sacrifice that will take away sins if we purposely go on sinning after the truth has been made known to us.

Instead, all that is left is to wait in fear for the coming Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God!

If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn't sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared."

Even if those three men, Noah, Danel, and Job, were living there, their goodness would save only their own lives." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.

even if Noah, Danel, and Job lived there---as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God---they would not be able to save even their own children. Their goodness would save only their own lives."

His death is his own fault, because he paid no attention to the warning. If he had paid attention, he could have escaped.

If you do warn an evil person and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared."

I said, "I have worked, but how hopeless it is! I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing." Yet I can trust the LORD to defend my cause; he will reward me for what I do.

Before I was born, the LORD appointed me; he made me his servant to bring back his people, to bring back the scattered people of Israel. The LORD gives me honor; he is the source of my strength.

When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; they disputed what Paul was saying and insulted him.

But Paul and Barnabas spoke out even more boldly: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles.

So I solemnly declare to you this very day: if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.

For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God, which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are being lost.

We are not like so many others, who handle God's message as if it were cheap merchandise; but because God has sent us, we speak with sincerity in his presence, as servants of Christ.