28. They joined in worshiping Baal at Peorand ate meat that had been sacrificed to lifeless statues.
29. They made the Lord angry by what they did,so many people became sick with a terrible disease.
30. But Phinehas prayed to the Lord,and the disease stopped.
31. Phinehas did what was right,and it will be remembered from now on.
32. The people also made the Lord angry at Meribah,and Moses was in trouble because of them.
33. The people turned against the Spirit of God,so Moses spoke without stopping to think.
34. The people did not destroy the other nationsas the Lord had told them to do.
35. Instead, they mixed with the other nationsand learned their customs.
36. They worshiped other nations’ idolsand were trapped by them.
37. They even killed their sons and daughtersas sacrifices to demons.
38. They killed innocent people,their own sons and daughters,as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan.So the land was made unholy by their blood.
39. The people became unholy by their sins;they were unfaithful to God in what they did.
40. So the Lord became angry with his peopleand hated his own children.
41. He handed them over to other nationsand let their enemies rule over them.
42. Their enemies were cruel to themand kept them under their power.
43. The Lord saved his people many times,but they continued to turn against him.So they became even more wicked.
44. But God saw their miserywhen he heard their cry.
45. He remembered his agreement with them,and he felt sorry for them because of his great love.
46. He caused them to be pitiedby those who held them captive.