6. The Lord's flaming anger will break out against a small gathering of sinners or a disobedient nation.
7. He did not forgive those ancient giants who rebelled against him, confident of their own strength.
8. He detested the arrogance of the people among whom Lot lived, and he did not spare them.
9. He showed no mercy on that nation which he doomed to destruction for its sins,
10. nor on those 600,000 people on the march through the wilderness who gathered together in stubborn rebellion.
11. Even if there had been only one stubborn person, it would have been a miracle if he had escaped punishment. The Lord is merciful, but he can also become angry. He can be overwhelming in his forgiveness or in his anger.
12. His punishment is as severe as his mercy is great. He judges people by what they have done.
13. No sinner can escape with what he has stolen. The Lord will reward the patience of devout people.
14. Every righteous person will be rewarded; everyone will get what he deserves.
17. Never say, “I will hide from the Lord. Nobody up there is going to give me a thought. How can I be noticed among so many people? The creation is so enormous, what am I worth?
18. When the Lord comes, everything will tremble: the earth and the great waters beneath it, the sky and the heavens above it.
19. The mountains will shake, and the foundations of the earth will shudder when he looks at them.
20. The Lord isn't going to give me a thought. Nobody cares what I do.
21. If I sin and am secretly disloyal, nobody will know it.
22. If I do what is right, nobody will tell the Lord about it. Who wants to wait for him, anyway? He is too slow in doing what he has said he would.”
23. Only someone with very little sense, and foolishly misguided, would think things like that.
24. My child, listen and pay attention to me; you will gain knowledge if you do.