This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

这是因以色列人得罪那领他们出埃及地、脱离埃及王法老手的耶和华他们的神，去敬畏别神，

这是因为以色列人得罪了那领他们出埃及地、脱离埃及王法老之手的耶和华—他们的上帝，去敬畏别神，

这是因为以色列人得罪了那领他们出埃及地、脱离埃及王法老之手的耶和华—他们的神，去敬畏别神，

以色列人之所以有如此下场，是因为他们的上帝耶和华领他们出埃及，从埃及王法老手中救出他们，他们却犯罪得罪祂。他们祭拜别的神明，

这是因为以色列人得罪了那曾带领他们从埃及王法老的手下离开埃及的耶和华他们的神，去敬畏别的神。

這是因以色列人得罪那領他們出埃及地、脫離埃及王法老手的耶和華－他們的神，去敬畏別神，

這是因為以色列人得罪了那領他們出埃及地、脫離埃及王法老之手的耶和華－他們的上帝，去敬畏別神，

這是因為以色列人得罪了那領他們出埃及地、脫離埃及王法老之手的耶和華－他們的神，去敬畏別神，

以色列人之所以有如此下場，是因為他們的上帝耶和華領他們出埃及，從埃及王法老手中救出他們，他們卻犯罪得罪祂。他們祭拜別的神明，

這是因為以色列人得罪了那曾帶領他們從埃及王法老的手下離開埃及的耶和華他們的神，去敬畏別的神。

這是因為以色列人犯罪得罪了那領他們從埃及地上來、使他們脫離埃及王法老手下的、永恆主他們的上帝、去敬畏別的神，

此因以色列人獲罪於其上帝耶和華、即導之出埃及、脫於埃及王法老手者、彼乃寅畏他神、

昔以色列族之上帝耶和華、導民出埃及、脫於法老之手、厥後以色列族獲罪於耶和華寅畏他上帝。

此因以色列人獲罪於主其天主、天主昔導之出伊及、脫於伊及王法老之手、彼反敬畏他神、

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods

All of this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. He had brought them up out of Egypt. He had brought them out from under the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But they worshiped other gods.

And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods

This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they worshiped other gods.

Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods.

For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods,

And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

This disaster happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they had worshiped other gods.

For[ so] it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

This happened because the Israelites sinned against the LORD their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods;

It was so because the children of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

If you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”

“ I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

“ But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your Law, they killed your prophets who warned them to return to you, and they committed terrible blasphemies.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done.

Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying:“ There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land.You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another.That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

I told you,‘ I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

“ But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods; they provoked his fury with detestable deeds.They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God, to gods they had not known before, to new gods only recently arrived, to gods their ancestors had never feared.You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth.“ The Lord saw this and drew back, provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters.He said,‘ I will abandon them; then see what becomes of them. For they are a twisted generation, children without integrity.They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God; they have provoked my anger with their useless idols. Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people; I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.For my anger blazes forth like fire and burns to the depths of the grave. It devours the earth and all its crops and ignites the foundations of the mountains.I will heap disasters upon them and shoot them down with my arrows.I will weaken them with famine, burning fever, and deadly disease. I will send the fangs of wild beasts and poisonous snakes that glide in the dust.Outside, the sword will bring death, and inside, terror will strike both young men and young women, both infants and the aged.I would have annihilated them, wiping out even the memory of them.But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy, who might misunderstand and say,“ Our own power has triumphed! The Lord had nothing to do with this!”’“ But Israel is a senseless nation; the people are foolish, without understanding.Oh, that they were wise and could understand this! Oh, that they might know their fate!How could one person chase a thousand of them, and two people put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the Lord had given them up?But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock, as even they recognize.Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom, from the vineyards of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poison, and their clusters are bitter.Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.“ The Lord says,‘ Am I not storing up these things, sealing them away in my treasury?I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them.’“ Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people, and he will change his mind about his servants, when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.Then he will ask,‘ Where are their gods, the rocks they fled to for refuge?Where now are those gods, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their offerings? Let those gods arise and help you! Let them provide you with shelter!Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!Now I raise my hand to heaven and declare,“ As surely as I live,when I sharpen my flashing sword and begin to carry out justice, I will take revenge on my enemies and repay those who reject me.I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh— the blood of the slaughtered and the captives, and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’“ Rejoice with him, you heavens, and let all of God’s angels worship him. Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles, and let all the angels be strengthened in him. For he will avenge the blood of his children; he will take revenge against his enemies. He will repay those who hate him and cleanse his people’s land.”So Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people.When Moses had finished reciting all these words to the people of Israel,he added:“ Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.These instructions are not empty words— they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.”That same day the Lord said to Moses,“ Go to Moab, to the mountains east of the river, and climb Mount Nebo, which is across from Jericho. Look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel as their own special possession.Then you will die there on the mountain. You will join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors.For both of you betrayed me with the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there.So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem.The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them.Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

“ Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.“ Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers.They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, charioteers driving their horses.And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her breasts, and used her as a prostitute.“ And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much.They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land.“ Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution.She fawned over all the Assyrian officers— those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving their horses— all of them attractive young men.I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.“ Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall— pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.

I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and will turn from the way I have commanded you to follow. In the days to come, disaster will come down on you, for you will do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, making him very angry with your actions.”

For the Lord had made a covenant with the descendants of Jacob and commanded them:“ Do not worship any other gods or bow before them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them.

“ O Samaria, I reject this calf— this idol you have made. My fury burns against you. How long will you be incapable of innocence?This calf you worship, O Israel, was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.“ They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.The people of Israel have been swallowed up; they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot.Like a wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold themselves— sold themselves to many lovers.But though they have sold themselves to many allies, I will now gather them together for judgment. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king.“ Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning!Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them.The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt.Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.”

The Lord said to Moses,“ You are about to die and join your ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin to worship foreign gods, the gods of the land where they are going. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them.Then my anger will blaze forth against them. I will abandon them, hiding my face from them, and they will be devoured. Terrible trouble will come down on them, and on that day they will say,‘ These disasters have come down on us because God is no longer among us!’

Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

Jehoiakim was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.

He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.

Instead, they mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs.They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall.They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons.They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession.He handed them over to pagan nations, and they were ruled by those who hated them.

Then the Lord said to Moses,“ Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers.When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them.The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!Then the Egyptians— all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers— chased them into the middle of the sea.But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion.He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive.“ Let’s get out of here— away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted.“ The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses,“ Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.”So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea.Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers— the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore.

In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.