" 'I, and I alone, am God; no other god is real. I kill and I give life, I wound and I heal, and no one can oppose what I do.

"But if his descendants disobey my law and do not live according to my commands,

then I will punish them for their sins; I will make them suffer for their wrongs.

Your own evil will punish you, and your turning from me will condemn you. You will learn how bitter and wrong it is to abandon me, the LORD your God, and no longer to remain faithful to me. I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, have spoken."

Then you will say to yourself, 'Who bore all these children for me? I lost my children and could have no more. I was exiled and driven away--- who brought these children up? I was left all alone--- where did these children come from?' "

Now, there were seven brothers who used to live here. The oldest got married and died without having children, so he left his widow to his brother.

Last of all, the woman died.

Just as he arrived at the gate of the town, a funeral procession was coming out. The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with her.