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And now here they lie exposed to the heat of the day and to the frost of the night. They died in torment from famine, war, and disease.
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And because of the sin of the people of Israel and Judah, you have reduced your own Temple to ruins, even as it is today.
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"But, Lord, you have been patient with us and have shown us great mercy,
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as you promised through your servant Moses on the day you commanded him to write your Law in the presence of the Israelites.
1
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"If you do not obey me,' you said, "you will be reduced to a handful among the nations where I will scatter you.
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I know that you will not obey me, because you are a stubborn people. But when you are taken into exile in another land, you will come to your senses.
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Then you will realize that I am the Lord your God, and I will give you a desire to know and a mind with which to understand.
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There in the land of your exile you will praise me and remember me.
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You will stop being so stubborn and wicked, for you will remember what happened to your ancestors when they sinned against the Lord.
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Then I will bring you back to the land that I solemnly promised to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it will be yours again. I will increase your population, and you will never again be reduced to a small number.