Someone might argue,“ When I lie, it becomes clearer that God is truthful. It makes his glory shine more brightly. Why then does he find me guilty of sin?”

若神的真实，因我的虚谎越发显出他的荣耀，为什么我还受审判，好像罪人呢？

若上帝的真实因我的虚谎越发显出他的荣耀，为什么我还像罪人一样受审判呢？

若神的真实因我的虚谎越发显出他的荣耀，为什么我还像罪人一样受审判呢？

你们又说：“如果我们的虚谎凸显出上帝的真实，增加祂的荣耀，为什么祂还要把我们当作罪人审判呢？”

但是神的诚实，如果因我的虚谎而更加显出他的荣耀来，为什么我还要像罪人一样受审判呢？

那么，如果神的真实因我的虚谎使他的荣耀更加丰盛，为什么我还要像罪人一样被定罪呢？

若神的真實，因我的虛謊越發顯出他的榮耀，為甚麼我還受審判，好像罪人呢？

若上帝的真實因我的虛謊越發顯出他的榮耀，為甚麼我還像罪人一樣受審判呢？

若神的真實因我的虛謊越發顯出他的榮耀，為甚麼我還像罪人一樣受審判呢？

你們又說：「如果我們的虛謊凸顯出上帝的真實，增加祂的榮耀，為什麼祂還要把我們當作罪人審判呢？」

但是神的誠實，如果因我的虛謊而更加顯出他的榮耀來，為甚麼我還要像罪人一樣受審判呢？

但上帝的真實如果因我的虛假越發彰顯他的榮耀來，為甚麼我還被斷為罪人呢？

那麼，如果神的真實因我的虛謊使他的榮耀更加豐盛，為什麼我還要像罪人一樣被定罪呢？

若上帝之誠、因我之偽而益致其榮、則我何仍見鞫如罪人乎、

曰、若我之偽、益彰上帝之誠以致其榮、則我何反見擬如罪人乎、

若天主之真、因我之偽、而愈顯以致其榮、則我何又見擬如罪人乎、

曰：今夫天主之真、既賴吾人之偽、而發揚光大、則吾之被判為罪人、不亦枉乎？

Someone might argue,“ If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?”

But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?

“ But,” someone might still argue,“ how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?”

But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?

But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?

For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

But if the truth of God through my lie abounded unto his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

For if by my lie the truth of God enhances his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner?

For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

Not at all! God is true, even if every human being is a liar. It is written,“ You are right when you sentence me. You are fair when you judge me.”( Psalm 51:4)

“ What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered.“ It will happen tonight. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”

One of you will say to me,“ Then why does God still blame us? Who can oppose what he wants to do?”But you are a mere human being. So who are you to talk back to God? Scripture says,“ Can what is made say to the one who made it,‘ Why did you make me like this?’ ”( Isaiah 29:16; 45:9)

I will send them against the ungodly nation of Judah. I will order them to fight against my own people. My people make me angry. I will order Assyria to take their goods and carry them away. I will order Assyria to walk on my people as if they were walking on mud.But that is not what the king of Assyria plans. It is not what he has in mind. His purpose is to destroy many nations. His purpose is to put an end to them.

Long ago God planned that Jesus would be handed over to you. With the help of evil people, you put Jesus to death. You nailed him to the cross.

Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. A female servant came to him.“ You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.But in front of all of them, Peter said he was not.“ I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.Then he went out to the gate leading into the courtyard. There another servant saw him. She said to the people,“ This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”Again he said he was not. With a curse he said,“ I don’t know the man!”After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter.“ You must be one of them,” they said.“ The way you talk gives you away.”Then Peter began to curse and said to them,“ I don’t know the man!” Right away a rooster crowed.Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said.“ The rooster will crow,” Jesus had told him.“ Before it does, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Peter went outside. He broke down and cried.

The prophet who had brought the man back from his journey heard about what had happened. He said,“ It’s the man of God. He didn’t do what the Lord told him to do. So the Lord has given him over to the lion. The lion has attacked him and killed him. Everything has happened just as the Lord’ s message had warned him it would.”The old prophet said to his sons,“ Put a saddle on the donkey for me.” So they did.Then he went out. He found the body of the man of God lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing beside it. The lion hadn’t eaten the body. It hadn’t attacked the donkey either.So the prophet picked up the man’s body. He put it on the donkey. He brought it back to his own city. He wanted to mourn for him and bury him.Then he placed the body in his own tomb. People mourned for him. They said,“ Oh, no, my friend! My dear friend!”After the old prophet had buried the man of God, he spoke to his sons. He said,“ When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Put my bones next to his bones.I want you to do that because he announced a message from the Lord. He spoke against the altar in Bethel. He also spoke against all the temples that are on the high places. They are in the towns of Samaria. What the man of God said will certainly come true.”

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus. By finding him guilty, they made the prophets’ words come true. These are read every Sabbath day.The people and their rulers had no reason at all for sentencing Jesus to death. But they asked Pilate to have him killed.They did everything that had been written about Jesus. Then they took him down from the cross. They laid him in a tomb.

Elisha answered,“ Go and tell him,‘ Yes. You will get well again.’ But the Lord has shown me that he will in fact die.”Elisha stared at him without looking away. He did it until Hazael felt uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.“ Why are you weeping?” asked Hazael.“ Because I know how much harm you will do to the people of Israel,” Elisha answered.“ You will set fire to their cities that have high walls around them. You will kill their young men with your swords. You will smash their little children on the ground. You will rip open their pregnant women.”Hazael said,“ How could I possibly do a thing like that? I’m nothing but a dog. I don’t have that kind of power.”“ You will become king of Aram,” Elisha answered.“ That’s what the Lord has shown me.”Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. Ben- Hadad asked,“ What did Elisha say to you?” Hazael replied,“ He told me you would get well again.”But the next day Hazael got a thick cloth. He soaked it in water. He spread it over the king’s face. He held it there until the king died. Then Hazael became the next king after him.

“ Come. Let’s kill him. Let’s throw him into one of these empty wells. Let’s say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we’ll see whether his dreams will come true.”

That day the Lord saved Israel from the power of Egypt. The Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you and your people go. Only a mighty hand could make him do that.

Joseph told the manager of his house what to do.“ Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry,” he said.“ Put each man’s money in his sack.Then put my silver cup in the youngest one’s sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain.” So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.When morning came, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.They hadn’t gone very far from the city when Joseph spoke to his manager.“ Go after those men right away,” he said.“ Catch up with them. Say to them,‘ My master was good to you. Why have you paid him back by doing evil?Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from? Doesn’t he also use it to find things out? You have done an evil thing.’ ”When the manager caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said.But they said to him,“ Why do you say these things? We would never do anything like that!We even brought back to you from Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?If you find out that any of us has the cup, he will die. And the rest of us will become your slaves.”“ All right, then,” he said.“ As you wish. The one found to have the cup will become my slave. But the rest of you will not be blamed.”Each of them quickly put his sack down on the ground and opened it.Then the manager started to search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.When that happened, they were so upset they tore their clothes. Then all of them loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.

His brothers said to him,“ Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn’t like what he had said.Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers.“ Listen,” he said.“ I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.”

I’ve received a message from the Lord. He told me,‘ Do not eat bread or drink water there. Do not return the same way you came.’ ”The old prophet answered,“ I’m also a prophet, just like you. An angel gave me a message from the Lord. The message said,‘ Bring the man of God back with you to your house. Then he can eat bread and drink water with you.’ ” But the old prophet was telling him a lie.

The king of Egypt was told that the people had escaped. Then Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them. They said,“ What have we done? We’ve let the people of Israel go! We’ve lost our slaves and all the work they used to do for us!”

Then his brothers came and threw themselves down in front of him.“ We are your slaves,” they said.But Joseph said to them,“ Don’t be afraid. Do you think I’m God?You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives.