God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; ¹  he does great things beyond our understanding. ² 

They mixed in with the nations and learned their ways. ¹ 

who plan ways to harm me. ¹  All day long they stir up conflict. ² 

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity ¹  than one who is perverse in his speech ²  and is a fool. ³ 

No, I tell you! But unless you repent, ¹  you will all perish as well! ² 

For ¹  a period of about forty years he put up with ²  them in the wilderness. ³ 

You also lived your lives ¹  in this way at one time, when you used to live among them.

Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me ¹  your way, that I may know you, ²  that I may continue to find ³  favor in your sight. And see ⁴  that this nation is your people.”

You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; ¹  you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you.

He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; ¹  they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. ² 

He did evil in the sight of ¹  the Lord and followed in the footsteps ²  of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin. ³ 

He followed in the footsteps of ¹  the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, ²  a horrible sin practiced by the nations ³  whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites.

For the king of Babylon stands at the fork ¹  in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: ²  He shakes arrows, he consults idols, ³  he examines ⁴  animal livers. ⁵ 

“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it by their behavior ¹  and their deeds. In my sight their behavior was like the uncleanness of a woman having her monthly period.

“The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror ¹  to all the kingdoms of the earth.

“‘I the Lord have spoken; judgment ¹  is coming and I will act! I will not relent, or show pity, or be sorry! ²  I will judge you ³  according to your conduct ⁴  and your deeds, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn the abhorrent practices of those nations.

So now do as they say. ¹  But seriously warn ²  them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.” ³ 

The Lord said to me, ¹  “I have made you like a metal assayer to test my people like ore. ²  You are to observe them and evaluate how they behave.” ³ 

I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed throughout foreign countries. In accordance with their behavior and their deeds I judged them.