Their speech is wicked and full of lies; they no longer do what is wise and good.

But when you punish the wicked, punish also those who abandon your ways. Peace be with Israel!

I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them."

The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it.

But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.

My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not be pleased with them."

These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.

Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything that the LORD, our God, has taken for us.

If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the LORD."

Joshua said to the people, "But you may not be able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God and will not forgive your sins. He will tolerate no rivals,

and the king said to Ittai, their leader, "Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with the new king. You are a foreigner, a refugee away from your own country.

You have lived here only a short time, so why should I make you wander around with me? I don't even know where I'm going. Go back and take all your people with you---and may the LORD be kind and faithful to you."

and on the way Elijah said to Elisha, "Now stay here; the LORD has ordered me to go to Bethel." But Elisha answered, "I swear by my loyalty to the living LORD and to you that I will not leave you." So they went on to Bethel.

"Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.

If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.

'You began to build but can't finish the job!' they will say.

If he isn't, he will send messengers to meet the other king to ask for terms of peace while he is still a long way off.

As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther;