28. At Baal Peor they joined in worshiping Baal and ate sacrifices to honor the dead.
29. The Lord became angry with his people, so he made them sick.
30. But Phinehas prayed to God, and God stopped the sickness.
31. He considered what Phinehas did a good work, and it will be remembered forever and ever.
32. At Meribah the people made the Lord angry and created trouble for Moses.
33. They upset Moses, and he spoke without stopping to think.
34. The Lord told the people to destroy the other nations living in Canaan. But the Israelites did not obey him.
35. They mixed with the other people and did what those people were doing.
36. They began worshiping the false gods those people worshiped. And their idols became a trap.
37. They even offered their own children as sacrifices to demons.
38. They killed their innocent sons and daughters and offered them to the false gods of Canaan. So the land was polluted with the sin of murder.
39. They were unfaithful to him, and they became dirty with the sins of other nations.
40. So the Lord became angry with his people. He rejected those who belonged to him.
41. He gave his people to other nations and let their enemies rule over them.
42. Their enemies controlled them and made life hard for them.
43. He saved his people many times, but they turned against him and did what they wanted to do. His people did many bad things.
44. But whenever they were in trouble, he listened to their prayers.