“‘ “But in the desert the people of Israel refused to obey me. They did not follow my rules. They turned their backs on my laws. The person who obeys them will live by them. They totally misused my Sabbath days. So I said I would pour out my great anger on them. I would destroy them in the desert.

以色列家却在旷野悖逆我，不顺从我的律例，厌弃我的典章（人若遵行，就必因此活着），大大干犯我的安息日。“我就说，要在旷野将我的忿怒倾在他们身上，灭绝他们。

以色列家却在旷野中悖逆我，不顺从我的律例，厌弃我的典章；人若遵行就必因此存活。他们却大大干犯我的安息日。“因此我说，我要在旷野把我的愤怒倾倒在他们身上，灭绝他们。

以色列家却在旷野中悖逆我，不顺从我的律例，厌弃我的典章；人若遵行就必因此存活。他们却大大干犯我的安息日。“因此我说，我要在旷野把我的愤怒倾倒在他们身上，灭绝他们。

“‘可是，以色列人却在旷野背叛我，不遵行我的律例和典章——遵行的人必活着，大肆亵渎我的安息日。我本想在旷野向他们发烈怒，灭绝他们。

可是以色列家在旷野背叛了我，没有遵行我的律例，弃绝了我的典章（人如果遵行这些，就必因此活着），大大亵渎了我的安息日，那时我说我要把我的烈怒倒在他们身上，在旷野把他们灭绝。

以色列家卻在曠野悖逆我，不順從我的律例，厭棄我的典章（人若遵行就必因此活着），大大干犯我的安息日。「我就說，要在曠野將我的忿怒傾在他們身上，滅絕他們。

以色列家卻在曠野中悖逆我，不順從我的律例，厭棄我的典章；人若遵行就必因此存活。他們卻大大干犯我的安息日。「因此我說，我要在曠野把我的憤怒傾倒在他們身上，滅絕他們。

以色列家卻在曠野中悖逆我，不順從我的律例，厭棄我的典章；人若遵行就必因此存活。他們卻大大干犯我的安息日。「因此我說，我要在曠野把我的憤怒傾倒在他們身上，滅絕他們。

「『可是，以色列人卻在曠野背叛我，不遵行我的律例和典章——遵行的人必活著，大肆褻瀆我的安息日。我本想在曠野向他們發烈怒，滅絕他們。

可是以色列家在曠野背叛了我，沒有遵行我的律例，棄絕了我的典章（人如果遵行這些，就必因此活著），大大褻瀆了我的安息日，那時我說我要把我的烈怒倒在他們身上，在曠野把他們滅絕。

然而以色列家在曠野卻叛逆了我，不遵行我的律例，反而棄絕我的典章、（就是人若實行、必因此而活着的），大大瀆犯我的安息日。『我就心裏說我要在曠野將我的烈怒傾倒在他們身上，來消滅他們。

惟以色列家在曠野、悖逆乎我、不循我典章、棄我律例、人若遵行、則緣之得生、且犯我安息日特甚、我則曰、必在曠野、傾我怒以滅之、

然以色列族在曠野、違逆乎我、不遵我禮儀、犯我安息日、浸假有人守我法度、則可保生、惟彼藐視之、故我自謂、必在曠野、震怒斯眾、滅之務盡。

然以色列族在曠野悖逆我、不遵我之律例、藐視我之法度、人若遵行、必由此得生、彼又大犯我之安息日、我言將震怒斯民、震怒斯民或作傾洩我之盛怒於斯民滅之於曠野、

“‘ Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws— by which the person who obeys them will live— and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.“ Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them.

“ But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my decrees there in the wilderness. They wouldn’t obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life. They also violated my Sabbath days. So I threatened to pour out my fury on them, and I made plans to utterly consume them in the wilderness.

“‘ But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my statutes and they rejected my ordinances— the person who does them will live by them. They also completely profaned my Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them; and they greatly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them.

Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments,‘ which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

“ But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances— the person who does them will live by them. They also completely profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which[ if] a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations( the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.

“‘“ But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn’t walk in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keeps, he shall live in them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

“‘ “But their children refused to obey me. They did not follow my rules. They were not careful to keep my laws. The person who obeys them will live by them. They misused my Sabbath days. So I said I would pour out all my great anger on them in the desert.

“‘ “But they refused to obey me. They would not listen to me. They did not get rid of the evil gods they worshiped. And they did not turn away from Egypt’s gods. So I said I would pour out all my great anger on them in Egypt.

“ Suppose outsiders want to follow me and serve me. They want to love me and worship me. They keep the Sabbath day and do not misuse it. And they are faithful in keeping my covenant.

They had not obeyed my laws. They had turned their backs on my rules. They had misused my Sabbath days. They only wanted to worship the statues of their parents’ gods.

At Mount Horeb you made the Lord angry enough to destroy you.

The Lord said to Moses,“ How long will these people not respect me? How long will they refuse to believe in me? They refuse even though I have done many signs among them.So I will strike them down with a plague. I will destroy them. But I will make you into a greater and stronger nation than they are.”

You will die in this desert. Every one of you 20 years old or more will die. Every one of you who was counted in the list of the people will die. Every one of you who has spoken out against me will be wiped out.

Now leave me alone. I will destroy them because of my great anger. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

And here is what you can be just as sure of. Not one of these people will see the land I promised to give them. They have seen my glory. They have seen the signs I did in Egypt. And they have seen what I did in the desert. But they did not obey me. And they have tested me ten times.

The Lord told me,“ Go down from here right away. The people you brought out of Egypt have become very sinful. They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made a statue of a god for themselves.”The Lord also said to me,“ I have seen these people. They are so stubborn!Do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy them. I will wipe them out from the earth. Then I will make you into a great nation. Your people will be stronger than they were. There will be more of you than there were of them.”So I turned and went down the mountain. It was blazing with fire. I was carrying the two tablets of the covenant law.When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a metal statue of a god. It looked like a calf. You had quickly turned away from the path the Lord had commanded you to follow.So I threw the two tablets out of my hands. You watched them break into pieces.Then once again I fell down flat in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground. I lay there for 40 days and 40 nights. I didn’t eat any food or drink any water. You had committed a terrible sin. You had done an evil thing in the Lord’ s sight. You had made him angry.I was afraid of the Lord’ s great anger. He was so angry with you he wanted to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me again.And he was so angry with Aaron he wanted to destroy him too. But at that time I prayed for Aaron.I also got that sinful calf you had made. I burned it in the fire. I crushed it and ground it into fine powder. Then I threw the powder into a stream that was flowing down the mountain.You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, Massah and Kibroth Hattaavah.The Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea. He said,“ Go up and take over the land I have given you.” But you refused to do what the Lord your God had commanded you to do. You didn’t trust him or obey him.You have been refusing to obey the Lord as long as I’ve known you.

The Lord says,“ The people of Judah have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They have refused to obey my law. They have not kept my rules. Other gods have led them astray. Their people of long ago worshiped those gods.

Suppose you say no to my rules and turn away from my laws. And suppose you break my covenant by failing to carry out all my commands.

Suppose someone refuses to accept our teaching. They are not turning their back on us. They are turning their back on God. This same God gives you his Holy Spirit.

In spite of what Moses said, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather the flakes. But they didn’t find any.Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said,“ How long will all of you refuse to obey my commands and my teachings?

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,“ Separate yourselves from these people. Then I can put an end to all of them at once.”

But they soon forgot what he had done. They didn’t wait for what he had planned to happen.In the desert they longed for food. In that dry and empty land they tested God.So he gave them what they asked for. But he also sent a sickness that killed many of them.In their camp some of them became jealous of Moses and Aaron. Aaron had been set apart to serve the Lord.The ground opened up and swallowed Dathan. It buried Abiram and his followers.Fire blazed among all of them. Flames destroyed those evil people.At Mount Horeb they made a metal statue of a bull calf. They worshiped that statue of a god.They traded their glorious God for a statue of a bull that eats grass.They forgot the God who saved them. They forgot the God who had done great things in Egypt.They forgot the miracles he did in the land of Ham. They forgot the wonderful things he did by the Red Sea.So he said he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stood up for them. He kept God’s anger from destroying them.Later on, they refused to enter the pleasant land of Canaan. They didn’t believe God’s promise.In their tents they told the Lord how unhappy they were. They didn’t obey him.So he lifted up his hand and promised that he would make them die in the desert.He promised he would scatter their children’s children among the nations. He would make them die in other lands.They joined in worshiping the Baal that was worshiped at Peor. They ate food that had been offered to gods that aren’t even alive.Their evil ways made the Lord angry. So a plague broke out among them.But Phinehas stood up and took action. Then the plague stopped.What Phinehas did made him right with the Lord. It will be remembered for all time to come.By the waters of Meribah the Lord’ s people made him angry. Moses got in trouble because of them.They refused to obey the Spirit of God. So Moses spoke without thinking.

They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made themselves a metal statue of a god in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down and sacrificed to it. And they have said,‘ Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.’

They are doing just as they have always done. They have deserted me and served other gods. They have done that from the time I brought them up out of Egypt until this day. Now they are deserting you too.

But they turned their backs on my laws. They did not obey my rules. They misused my Sabbath days. Their hearts were committed to worshiping the statues of their gods.

These were the families of Issachar. The number of the men counted was 64,300.

I know how you refuse to obey the Lord. I know how stubborn you are. You have refused to obey him while I’ve been living among you. So you will certainly refuse to obey him after I’m dead!

“ Get away from these people. Then I can put an end to all of them at once.” And Moses and Aaron fell with their faces to the ground.

Suppose someone did not obey the law of Moses. And suppose two or three witnesses made charges against them. That person would die without mercy.People who deserve even more punishment include those who have hated the Son of God. They include people who have said no to him. They include people who have treated as unholy the blood of the covenant that makes them holy. They also include people who have disrespected the Holy Spirit who brings God’s grace. Don’t you think people like this should be punished more than anyone else?

They have not respected what the Lord has said. They have broken the Lord’ s commands. They must certainly be separated from the community. They are still guilty.’ ”The Israelites were in the desert. One Sabbath day, people saw a man gathering wood.They brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole community.They kept him under guard. It wasn’t clear what should be done to him.Then the Lord said to Moses,“ The man must die. The whole community must kill him by throwing stones at him. They must do it outside the camp.”So the people took the man outside the camp. There they killed him by throwing stones at him. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

You will leave the land. It will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies deserted because you are not there. You will pay for your sins because you said no to my laws. You turned away from my rules.

How often they refused to obey him in the desert! How often they caused him sorrow in that dry and empty land!Again and again they tested God. They made the Holy One of Israel sad and angry.

“ But our people before us became proud and stubborn. They didn’t obey your commands.They refused to listen to you. They forgot the miracles you had done among them. So they became stubborn. When they refused to obey you, they appointed a leader for themselves. They wanted to go back to being slaves in Egypt. But you are a God who forgives. You are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. So you didn’t desert them.They made for themselves a metal statue of a god that looked like a calf. They said to one another,‘ Here is your god. He brought you up out of Egypt.’ And they did evil things that dishonored you. But you still didn’t desert them.

But they refused to obey him. They made his Holy Spirit sad. So he turned against them and became their enemy. He himself fought against them.

He says,“ Don’t be stubborn as you were at Meribah. Don’t be stubborn as you were that day at Massah in the desert.There your people of long ago really tested me. They did it even though they had seen what I had done for them.For 40 years I was angry with them. I said,‘ Their hearts are always going astray. They do not know how I want them to live.’So when I was angry, I made a promise. I said,‘ They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.’ ”

Anyone who hates what they are taught will pay for it later. But a person who respects a command will be rewarded.

Why did you turn your back on what I told you to do? You did what is evil in my sight. You made sure that Uriah, the Hittite, would be killed in battle. You took his wife to be your own. You let the men of Ammon kill him with their swords.

You turn away from all my advice. And you do not accept my warning.