the Ammonite leaders said to the king, "Do you think that it is in your father's honor that David has sent these men to express sympathy to you? Of course not! He has sent them here as spies to explore the city, so that he can conquer us!"

(SEE 35:1)

You have done all this, and I have said nothing, so you thought that I am like you. But now I reprimand you and make the matter plain to you.

Don't you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once he would send me more than twelve armies of angels?

Do you, my friend, pass judgment on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself.

He said, "God loves you, so don't let anything worry you or frighten you." When he had said this, I felt even stronger and said, "Sir, tell me what you have to say. You have made me feel better."

Jesus answered him, "Friend, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?"

After a little while a man noticed Peter and said, "You are one of them, too!" But Peter answered, "Man, I am not!"

But Peter answered, "Man, I don't know what you are talking about!" At once, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.

Punish them, O God, for their evil; defeat those people in your anger!

You can be sure that evil people will be punished, but the righteous will escape.

The LORD hates everyone who is arrogant; he will never let them escape punishment.

But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!

He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape."

You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?

When people say, "Everything is quiet and safe," then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape.

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!