28. They joined in worshiping the Baal that was worshiped at Peor. They ate food that had been offered to gods that aren't even alive.
29. Their evil ways made the Lord angry. So a plague broke out among them.
30. But Phinehas stood up and took action. Then the plague stopped.
31. What Phinehas did made him right with the Lord. It will be remembered for all time to come.
32. By the waters of Meribah the Lord's people made him angry. Moses got in trouble because of them.
33. They refused to obey the Spirit of God. So Moses spoke without thinking.
34. They didn't destroy the nations in Canaan as the Lord had commanded them.
35. Instead, they mixed with those nations and adopted their ways.
36. They worshiped statues of their gods. That became a trap for them.
37. They sacrificed their sons and daughters as offerings to demons.
38. They killed those who weren't guilty of doing anything wrong. They killed their own sons and daughters. They sacrificed them as offerings to statues of the gods of Canaan. The land became "unclean" because of the blood of their children.
39. The people polluted themselves by what they had done. They weren't faithful to the Lord.
40. So the Lord became angry with his people. He turned away from his own children.
41. He handed them over to the nations. Their enemies ruled over them.
42. They beat them down and kept them under their power.
43. Many times the Lord saved them. But they refused to obey him. So he destroyed them because of their sins.
44. But he heard them when they cried out. He paid special attention to their suffering.
45. Because they were his people, he remembered his covenant. Because of his great love, he felt sorry for them.
46. He made all those who held them as prisoners show concern for them.