There they put me to the test and tried me, although they had seen what I did for them.

For forty years I was disgusted with those people. I said, 'How disloyal they are! They refuse to obey my commands.'

I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days; they are a burden that I am tired of bearing.

To that Isaiah replied, "Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people---do you have to wear out God's patience too?

You didn't buy incense for me or satisfy me with the fat of your animals. Instead you burdened me with your sins; you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.

You people have rejected me; you have turned your backs on me. So I reached out and crushed you because I was tired of controlling my anger.

You have forgotten how I treated you when you were young, and you have made me angry by all the things you did. That is why I have made you pay for them all. Why did you add sexual immorality to all the other disgusting things you did?" The Sovereign LORD has spoken.

And now I will crush you to the ground, and you will groan like a cart loaded with grain.

You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her.

The LORD Almighty says to the priests, "Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father---why don't you honor me? I am your master---why don't you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, 'How have we despised you?'

This is how---by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, 'How have we failed to respect you?' I will tell you---by showing contempt for my altar.

I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. 'How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings.

"You have said terrible things about me," says the LORD. "But you ask, 'What have we said about you?'

As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God's patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.' "

Job claims that he is innocent, that God refuses to give him justice.

Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job? He never shows respect for God.

He says that it never does any good to try to follow God's will.

But now you are being punished as you deserve.

because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked.

They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have.

their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.

They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,

They say, "God will not know; the Most High will not find out."

Is it for nothing, then, that I have kept myself pure and have not committed sin?

If I had said such things, I would not be acting as one of your people.

When John came, he fasted and drank no wine, and everyone said, 'He has a demon in him!'

When the Son of Man came, he ate and drank, and everyone said, 'Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!' God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results."

"The LORD is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair.

Stop your loud boasting; silence your proud words. For the LORD is a God who knows, and he judges all that people do.

The wicked say to themselves, "God doesn't care! He has closed his eyes and will never see me!"

How can the wicked despise God and say to themselves, "He will not punish me"?

Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough.

You are doomed! You are unable to break free from your sins.

You say, "Let the LORD hurry up and do what he says he will, so that we can see it. Let Israel's holy God carry out his plans; let's see what he has in mind."

And yet the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the LORD.

God asked me, "Mortal man, do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret? They are all worshiping in a room full of images. Their excuse is: 'The LORD doesn't see us! He has abandoned the country.' "

God answered, "The people of Israel and Judah are guilty of terrible sins. They have committed murder all over the land and have filled Jerusalem with crime. They say that I, the LORD, have abandoned their country and that I don't see them.

"At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, 'The LORD never does anything, one way or the other.'

First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you

and will ask, "He promised to come, didn't he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!"