and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side.

A lonely ruin now, Jerusalem recalls her ancient splendor. When she fell to the enemy, there was no one to help her; Her conquerors laughed at her downfall.

"But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this.

You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone---gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do.

That same night Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, was killed;

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"But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life!

They live out their lives in peace and quietly die without suffering.

The wicked tell God to leave them alone; they don't want to know his will for their lives.

And yet it was God who made them prosperous--- I can't understand the thoughts of the wicked.

save me from those who in this life have all they want. Punish them with the sufferings you have stored up for them; may there be enough for their children and some left over for their children's children!

I once knew someone wicked who was a tyrant; he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;

but later I passed by, and he wasn't there; I looked for him, but couldn't find him.

Their graves are their homes forever; there they stay for all time, though they once had lands of their own.

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

That is what the wicked are like. They have plenty and are always getting more.

O God, you have made me suffer all day long; every morning you have punished me.

I tried to think this problem through, but it was too difficult for me

You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction!

And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it.

They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world.

Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father.

There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man's door,

I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!"

They strengthened the believers and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. "We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God," they taught.

so that none of you should turn back because of these persecutions. You yourselves know that such persecutions are part of God's will for us.

He preferred to suffer with God's people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while.

"I don't know, sir. You do," I answered. He said to me, "These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.