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the more angry I will be with them for their sins," says the Lord.
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Just as a respectable and virtuous woman abhors a harlot,
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so righteousness shall abhor iniquity, when she decks herself out, and shall accuse her to her face, when he comes who will defend him who searches out every sin on earth.
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Therefore do not be like her or her works.
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For behold, just a little while, and iniquity will be removed from the earth, and righteousness will reign over us.
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Let no sinner say that he has not sinned; for God will burn coals of fire on the head of him who says, "I have not sinned before God and his glory."
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Behold, the Lord knows all the works of men, their imaginations and their thoughts and their hearts.
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He said, "Let the earth be made," and it was made; "Let the heaven be made," and it was made.
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At his word the stars were fixed, and he knows the number of the stars.
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It is he who searches the deep and its treasures, who has measured the sea and its contents;
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who has enclosed the sea in the midst of the waters, and by his word has suspended the earth over the water;
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who has spread out the heaven like an arch, and founded it upon the waters;
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who has put springs of water in the desert, and pools on the tops of the mountains, to send rivers from the heights to water the earth;
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who formed man, and put a heart in the midst of his body, and gave him breath and life and understanding
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and the spirit of Almighty God; who made all things and searches out hidden things in hidden places.
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Surely he knows your imaginations and what you think in your hearts! Woe to those who sin and want to hide their sins!
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Because the Lord will strictly examine all their works, and will make a public spectacle of all of you.
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And when your sins come out before men, you shall be put to shame; and your own iniquities shall stand as your accusers in that day.
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What will you do? Or how will you hide your sins before God and his angels?
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Behold, God is the judge, fear him! Cease from your sins, and forget your iniquities, never to commit them again; so God will lead you forth and deliver you from all tribulation.
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For behold, the burning wrath of a great multitude is kindled over you, and they shall carry off some of you and shall feed you what was sacrificed to idols.
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And those who consent to eat shall be held in derision and contempt, and be trodden under foot.
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For in many places and in neighboring cities there shall be a great insurrection against those who fear the Lord.
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They shall be like mad men, sparing no one, but plundering and destroying those who continue to fear the Lord.
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For they shall destroy and plunder their goods, and drive them out of their houses.
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Then the tested quality of my elect shall be manifest, as gold that is tested by fire.
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"Hear, my elect," says the Lord. "Behold, the days of tribulation are at hand, and I will deliver you from them.
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Do not fear or doubt, for God is your guide.
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You who keep my commandments and precepts," says the Lord God, "do not let your sins pull you down, or your iniquities prevail over you."
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Woe to those who are choked by their sins and overwhelmed by their iniquities, as a field is choked with underbrush and its path overwhelmed with thorns, so that no one can pass through!
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It is shut off and given up to be consumed by fire.