"But your people rebelled and disobeyed you; they turned their backs on your Law. They killed the prophets who warned them, who told them to turn back to you. They insulted you time after time,

I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that, if you disobey me, you will soon disappear from the land. You will not live very long in the land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy. You will be completely destroyed.

and many terrible disasters will come on them. But this song will still be sung, and it will stand as evidence against them. Even now, before I take them into the land that I promised to give them, I know what they are thinking."

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."

The LORD sent prophets to warn them to return to him, but the people refused to listen.

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.

"For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah until this very day, the LORD has spoken to me, and I have never failed to tell you what he said. But you have paid no attention.

They told you to turn from your wicked way of life and from the evil things you are doing, so that you could go on living in the land that the LORD gave you and your ancestors as a permanent possession.

But the LORD himself says that you refused to listen to him. Instead, you made him angry with your idols and have brought his punishment on yourselves.

That is why I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear:

You worked amazing miracles against the king, against his officials and the people of his land, because you knew how they oppressed your people. You won then the fame you still have today.

But our ancestors grew proud and stubborn and refused to obey your commands.

So Moses and Aaron went to the king and said to him, "The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How much longer will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.

People of Israel, the LORD has spoken! Be humble and listen to him.

If you will not listen, I will cry in secret because of your pride; I will cry bitterly, and my tears will flow because the LORD's people have been taken away as captives.

Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other arrogant men said to me, "You are lying. The LORD our God did not send you to tell us not to go and live in Egypt.

But to this day you have not humbled yourselves. You have not honored me or lived according to all the laws that I gave you and your ancestors.

"We refuse to listen to what you have told us in the name of the LORD.

We will do everything that we said we would. We will offer sacrifices to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and we will pour out wine offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our king and our leaders, used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and had no troubles.

But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor.

But the grace that God gives is even stronger. As the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Follow the practices and the laws that I give you; you will save your life by doing so. I am the LORD."

I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them.

"You are right," Jesus replied; "do this and you will live."

Moses wrote this about being put right with God by obeying the Law: "Whoever obeys the commands of the Law will live."

But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, as the scripture says, "Whoever does everything the Law requires will live."

"But my people stubbornly refused to listen. They closed their minds

and made their hearts as hard as rock. Because they would not listen to the teaching which I sent through the prophets who lived long ago, I became very angry.

Yet no one listened or paid any attention. Instead, you became more stubborn and rebellious than your ancestors.

Their ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention. Instead, they became stubborn; they would not obey me or learn from me.

that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, "I am going to bring on this city and on every nearby town all the punishment that I said I would, because you are stubborn and will not listen to what I say."