<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword<n id="1" /> at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment.

Then you will remember your evil behavior<n id="1" /> and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;This is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says: In the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for<n id="1" /> their sin.

<p class="poetry">whenever I want to heal Israel,p> <p class="poetry">the sin of Ephraim is revealed,p> <p class="poetry">and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed.p> <p class="poetry">For they do what is wrong;p> <p class="poetry">thieves break into houses,p> <p class="poetry">and gangs rob people out in the streets.p>

<p class="poetry">They offer up sacrificial gifts to me,p> <p class="poetry">and eat the meat,p> <p class="poetry">but the <sc>Lordsc> does not accept their sacrifices.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Soon he will remember their wrongdoing,p> <p class="poetry">he will punish their sins,p> <p class="poetry">and they will return to Egypt.p>

<p class="poetry">The time of judgment<n id="1" /> is about to arrive!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">The time of retribution<n id="3" /> is imminent!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Let Israel know!<n id="5" />p><t /><p class="poetry">The prophet is considered a fool<n id="6" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">the inspired man<n id="7" /> is viewed as a madman<n id="8" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">because of the multitude of your sinsp> <p class="poetry">and your intense<n id="9" /> animosity.p>

<p class="poetry">Ephraim boasts,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I am very rich!p> <p class="poetry">I have become wealthy!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">In all that I have done to gain my wealth,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">no one can accuse me of any offense<n id="4" /> that is actually sinful.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Return to the <sc>Lordsc> and repent!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Say to him: &#8220;Completely<n id="2" /> forgive our iniquity;p> <p class="poetry">accept<n id="3" /> our penitential prayer,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.<n id="5" />p>

&#8220;I have chosen<n id="1" /> you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">There is no other God like you!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You<n id="2" /> forgive sinp> <p class="poetry">and pardon<n id="3" /> the rebellionp> <p class="poetry">of those who remain among your people.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">You do not remain angry forever,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">but delight in showing loyal love.p>

He taught what was true;<n id="1" /> sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin.

<p class="bodytext">At dawn<n id="1" /> the angels hurried Lot along, saying, &#8220;Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here,<n id="2" /> or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Judah replied, &#8220;What can we say<n id="1" /> to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves?<n id="2" /> God has exposed the sin of your servants!<n id="3" /> We are now my lord&#8217;s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.&#8221;p>

You shall not bow down to them or serve them,<n id="1" /> for I, the <sc>Lordsc>, your God, am a jealous<n id="2" /> God, responding to<n id="3" /> the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations<n id="4" /> of those who reject me,<n id="5" />

It will be on Aaron&#8217;s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things,<n id="1" /> which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts;<n id="2" /> it will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance<n id="3" /> before the <sc>Lordsc>.

These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter<n id="1" /> to the tent of meeting, or when they approach<n id="2" /> the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear no iniquity and die.<n id="3" /> It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants<n id="4" /> after him.<n id="5" />p>

and said, &#8220;If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord<n id="1" /> go among us, for we<n id="2" /> are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.&#8221;p>

If some of the meat of his peace offering sacrifice is ever eaten on the third day it will not be accepted; it will not be accounted to the one who presented it, since it is spoiled,<n id="1" /> and the person who eats from it will bear his punishment for iniquity.<n id="2" />