Ezekiel 14:23

⁸“Many nations will pass by this city, and they will each ask his neighbor, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this great city?’ ⁹Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD their God, worshiped other gods, and served them.’”

⁴Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”

²²The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. ²³Abraham came near, and said, “Will you consume the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵May it be far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”

²⁶The LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.” ²⁷Abraham answered, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, although I am dust and ashes. ²⁸What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?” He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

²⁹He spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if there are forty found there?” He said, “I will not do it for the forty’s sake.”

³⁰He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?” He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.”

³²He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.”

³³The LORD went his way as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

²Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse doesn’t come to rest.

⁶For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this.”

²You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

⁵But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God,

⁷“Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.

³³However you are just in all that has come on us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly.

¹⁴Therefore the LORD has watched over the evil, and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he does, and we have not obeyed his voice.