Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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1 Your immortal spirit is in
every one of them,
2 and so
you gently correct those who sin
against you. Your remind them of
what they are doing, and warn them
about it, so that they may abandon
their evil ways and put their trust in
you, Lord.
The Sins of the Canaanites
3
4 You hated the people who lived
in your holy land long ago, because
they did horrible things: they practiced
magic and conducted unholy
worship;
5 they killed children without
mercy and ate the flesh and
blood of human beings. They were
initiated into secret rituals note
6 in
which parents murdered their own
defenseless children. It was your
will for our ancestors to destroy
these people,
7 so that the land
which you consider the most precious
of all lands would be a suitable
home for your people. note
8 But even in
this you showed mercy toward their
enemies, since they were only human
beings. You sent hornets ahead
of your army, to destroy the enemy
gradually. note
9 You could have allowed
the righteous to destroy those ungodly
people in battle; you could
have wiped them out immediately
with wild animals or with one harsh
command.
10 But instead, you carried
out your sentence gradually, to
give them a chance to repent, even
though you knew that they came
from evil stock, that they had been
wicked since birth, and that they
would never change their way of
thinking. note
11 Their whole nation was
cursed from the start, and though
you had not punished them for their
sins, it was not because you were
afraid of anyone.
God Is Sovereign
12 You created those wicked people,
and no one can speak in their
defense or condemn you for destroying
them. No one can question what
you have done or challenge your
judgment.
13 All things are under
your care, and there is no other god
to whom you must justify your decisions.
14 No king or ruler on earth
-- --
can accuse you of punishing those
people unfairly.
15 You are righteous,
and you rule everything righteously.
You have never used your power to
condemn a person who does not deserve
to be punished.
16 Your
strength is the source of justice. You
can show mercy to everyone, because
you are the Lord of all.
17 You
show your strength when people
doubt that your power is perfect,
and you punish anyone who knows
your power but dares to ignore it.
18 Even though you have absolute
power, you are a merciful judge.
You could take action against us
whenever you like, but instead, you
rule us with great patience.
19 By the things you have done you
have taught your people that a person
who is righteous must also be
kind. You have given your people
abundant hope by allowing them to
repent of their sins.
20 You were very
careful and patient in punishing
your people's enemies; even when
they deserved to die, you gave them
every opportunity to give up their
sinful ways.
21 But you judged your
own people very strictly, even
though you had made covenants
with their ancestors and had solemnly
promised to give them good
things.
22 Yes, you punish us, but you punish
our enemies ten thousand times
more, so that when we judge others,
we may remember your goodness,
and when we are being judged, we
may look for mercy.
The Punishment of the Egyptians
23 And so you tormented those
who were foolish enough to live
wickedly—you tormented them
with the horrible things they worshiped.
24 They had wandered far
away from the truth and worshiped
the most disgusting and horrible animals.
They were deceived as easily
as little children.
25 And so you punished
them for their stupidity, and
your judgment made them look like
fools.
26 It was a light punishment,
but those who pay no attention to
such warnings deserve to feel the
full weight of God's judgment.
27 When they were punished with
those creatures they considered
gods, they became bitterly disillusioned
and recognized that the true
God was the one they had always refused
to acknowledge. That is why
they suffered the final punishment.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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