19 So, turn away from your sinful behavior and ask God to help you do what pleases him, in order that he may completely forgive you for your sins.

38 Peter answered them, "Each of you should turn away from your sinful behavior. Then we(exc) will baptize you, if you now believe in Jesus Christ. Then God will give you the Holy Spirit.

30 During the times when people did not know what God wanted them to do, he did not immediately punish them for what they did. But now God commands all people everywhere to turn away from their evil behavior.

17 From that time, while Jesus was in Capernaum city, he began to preach this to people: "God [MTY/EUP] will very soon begin to rule, and he will judge you when he rules. So you (pl) need to turn from your sinful ways so that God will not punish you."

8 Do what is appropriate [IDM] for people who have truly turned away from their sinful behavior before you come to me in order to be baptized {that I baptize you}.

15 He was repeatedly saying, "Now is the time when God will begin to rule people’s lives in a new way. So turn away from your sinful behavior! Believe the good message in order ◄to belong to him/to become those whose lives he will rule►!"

7 I tell you (pl) that similarly God will be very happy about each and every sinner who turns from doing evil. God is not happy about 99 people who think that they are [IRO] righteous and think that they do not need to turn from doing evil.

10 I tell you that similarly the angels will be happy about even just one sinner who turns from doing evil."

32 Similarly, I did not come from heaven to invite those who think they are righteous to come to me. On the contrary, I came to invite those who know that they are sinners to turn from their sinful behavior and come to me."

32 I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased about your dying. So repent, and remain alive!"

21 But if a wicked person ◄turns away from/quits► doing all the evil things that he did previously, and if he starts to obey faithfully all my laws, and does what is fair and right [DOU], he will surely remain alive; he will not be executed.

1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said, 2 "You people quote [RHQ] this proverb and say that it is about Israel:

‘Parents/People eat sour grapes,

but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths',

which means that you think that it is not fair for you to be punished for your ancestors’ sins.

3 But I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that as surely as I am alive, you Israeli people will no longer quote that proverb. 4 Everyone who is alive belongs to me. That includes children and their parents; they all belong to me. And it is those who sin who will diebecause of their sins.

5 So, suppose there is a righteous person

whoalways does what is fair and right [DOU].

6 He does not eatmeat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops,

he does not request help from idols.

He does not have sex with someone else’s wife

or have sex with a woman during her monthly menstrual period.

7 He does not mistreat/oppress people;

if someoneborrows money from him and gives him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back, he always gives the cloak back to that personbefore the sun goes down.

He does not rob people.

He gives food to hungry people.

He gives clothing to people who need clothes.

8 When he lends money to people,

he does not do it just to charge big interest.

He does not do [SYN] things that are evil.

He always decides things fairly.

9 He faithfully obeys all [DOU] my laws.

That man is truly righteous;

he will remain alive.

That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, promise.

10 But suppose that man has a son who acts violently, who murders people and does any of these other things, even though his father has not done any of them:

11 He eatsmeat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops.

He has sex with other people’s wives.

12 He mistreats/oppresses poor and needy people.

He robs people.

If someone gives him his cloak to guaranteethat he will pay the money back,

he never gives the cloak back to himbefore the sun goes down.

He seeks help from idols.

He does other detestable things.

13 When he lends money, he chargesvery big interest.

If you think that such a person willbe allowed to remain alive [RHQ], you are certainly wrong. Because he has done those detestable things, he will surely be executed, and it will be his own fault [IDM].

14 But suppose that man has a son who sees all the sins that his father commits, but he does not do those things:

15 He does not eatmeat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops.

He does not request help from idols.

He does not have sex with other people’s wives.

16 He does not mistreat/oppress people.

If he lends money to someone, he does not require that person to give him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back.

He does not rob anyone.

He gives food to those who need it.

He gives clothes to those who need clothes.

17 He does not commit sins, like his father did,

and does not charge big interest [DOU] when he lends money.

He faithfully obeys all [DOU] my laws.

That person will not be executed for his father’s sins; he will surely remain alive. 18 But his father will be executed for the sins that he committed, because he cheated people and robbed people and did other things that are evil.

19 If you ask, ‘Why should the man’s son not ◄suffer/be punished► for the evil things that his father did?’, I will answer that the son has done what is fair and right [DOU] and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive. 20 It is those who sin who will diebecause of their sins. People will not be punished for the sins of their parents, or for the sins of their children. Good/Righteous people will be rewarded for their being good/righteous, and evil people will be punished for theirdoing evil.

21 But if a wicked person ◄turns away from/quits► doing all the evil things that he did previously, and if he starts to obey faithfully all my laws, and does what is fair and right [DOU], he will surely remain alive; he will not be executed. 22 He will not be punished for the sins he committed previously. Because of the good/righteous things that he has done since that time, he willbe allowed to remain alive. 23 I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I certainly am not [RHQ] happy about wicked people dying. Instead, I am happy when they turn away from their wicked behavior, andbecause of that, they remain alive.

24 But if a righteous person stops doing righteous things and starts to commit sins and does the same detestable things that wicked people do, he will certainly not [RHQ] be allowed to remain alive. I will not think about the righteous things that he did previously. Because he did not faithfullydo what pleases me, and because of all the sins that he has committed, he will be executed.

25 But you say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly!’ You Israeli people, listen to what I say: It is certainly not [RHQ] what I do that is unfair, it is what you continually do that is not fair/right! 26 If a righteous person ◄turns away from/quits► doing what is righteous and commits sins, he will diefor committing those sins. 27 But if a wicked person turns away from doing wicked things and does what is just and right [DOU], he will save himselffrom being executed/punished. 28 Because he has thought about all the evil things that he did and has turned away from doing them, he will surelybe allowed to live. He will not be executed for having done evil things. 29 But you Israeli people [MTY] say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly.’ You people of Israel, my behavior is certainly not [RHQ] unfair! It is your behavior that is not right.

30 Therefore, you Israeli people [MTY], I, Yahweh the Lord, will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn away from all your wicked behavior! Then you will not be destroyed [PRS] because of your sins. 31 Get rid of all your wicked behavior, and get a new way of thinking [IDM, DOU]. You Israeli people [MTY], ◄do you really want to be executed for your sins?/you act as though you want to be executed for your sins► [RHQ]. 32 I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased about your dying. So repent, and remain alive!"

9 Therefore, you should not think that because Christ has not yet come back to judge people, the Lord God is ◄delaying/slow to do► what he promised. Some people think that this is so, and they say that Christ will never come back. But you should understand that the reason why Christ has not yet come back to judge people is that God is being patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be lost eternally. Instead, he wants everyone to turn away from their sinful behavior.

7 Wicked people should abandon their wicked behavior,

and evil people should stop thinking what is evil.

They should turn to me,

and if they do that, I will act mercifully toward them;

they should turn to me, their God,

because I will fully pardon them for all the wicked things that they have done.

22 I have gotten rid of your sins

like [SIM] the wind blows away a cloud.

It is as though your transgressions were a morning mist

[SIM] that I have blown away.

Return to me

because I have rescued you."

12 But Yahweh says,

"In spite of these disasters that you have experienced,

you can return to me with all your inner beings.

Weep, and mourn, and ◄fast/abstain from eating food► to show that you are sorry for having abandoned me.

13 Do not tear your clothes

to show that you are sorry;

instead, show [MET] that you are sorry."

Yahweh is merciful and kind;

he does not quickly become angry;

he faithfully loves people.

He does not quickly become angry;

instead, he greatly and faithfully loves you,

and he does not like to punish you.

14 if the people who belong to me humble themselves and pray, and request me to help them, and if they turn away from their sinful behavior, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive them for having sinned and I will cause them to prosper again.

1-3 The king and his officials and all the other people who had gathered in Jerusalem wanted to celebrate the Passover Festival. But they were not able to celebrate it at the usual time, because many of the priests had still not performed the rituals to purify themselves; therefore they were not allowed to do serve in the festival. Also, everyone had still not come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. So they decided to celebrate it one month later than usual. 4 The king and all the other people who had gathered thought that was a good plan. 5 So they decided to send messages to all the towns in Judah and in Israel, from Beersheba in the far south to Dan in the far north, including towns in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, to invite people to come to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Festival to honor Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli people worshiped/belonged to. Many of the people had not previously celebrated that festival, even though it had been written in the laws of Moses that they should do that.

6 Obeying what the king commanded, messengers went throughout Judah and Israel, taking messages that had been written by the king and his officials. This is what they wrote:

"You Israeli people, you who survived after being slaves of the kings of Assyria, return to Yahweh, the God whom our great ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped/belonged to, in order that he may return to you. Your fathers and brothers did not faithfully obey Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped. 7 Do not act like they did, because what they did caused other people to become disgusted with them. 8 Do not be stubborn as our ancestors were. Do what Yahweh desires. Come to Jerusalem to the temple, which he has set apart forever. Do what pleases Yahweh our God, in order that he will no longer be angry with you. 9 If you return to Yahweh, the people who have captured our brothers and sisters and our children will be kind to them, and allow them to return to this land. Do not forget that Yahweh our God is kind and merciful. If you return to him, he will no longer reject you."

10 The messengers went to all the towns in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far north as the tribe of Zebulun, and gave them this message, but most of the people there scorned them and ridiculed them. 11 But some of the people of the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. 12 Also in Judah God motivated the people to be united in wanting to do what Yahweh wanted them to do, which is what the king and his officials had told them to do in the message that they sent.

13 So a huge crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem in May, to celebrate the Festival of Eating Unleavened Bread. 14 They removed the altars of Baal in Jerusalem and took away the altars for burning incense to honor other gods, and burned them in Kidron Valley.

15 They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of that month. Some of the priests and the other descendants of Levi were ashamed because they had not performed the rituals to cause them to be acceptable to work for Yahweh. So they performed those rituals, and brought to the temple animals to be completely burned on the altar.

16 Then they stood at the places where Moses had written in his laws that they should stand. Then the descendants of Levi gave to the priests bowls containing blood of the animals that were being sacrificed, and the priests sprinkled the altar with some of the blood. 17 Many people in the crowd had not purified themselves, and therefore they were not able to kill the lambs and dedicate them to Yahweh. So it was necessary for the descendants of Levi to kill the lambs for them. 18 Although most of the people who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Issachar had not purified themselves, they ate the food of the Passover Festival anyway, ignoring the rules written by Moses. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying "Yahweh, you always do what is good; I pray that you will forgive everyone 19 who sincerely wants to honor you, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, even if they have not purified themselves by obeying the sacred laws that you gave to us." 20 And Yahweh heard what Hezekiah prayed; he forgave the people, and did not punish them.

21 The Israeli people who were there in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Eating Unleavened Bread for seven days. They rejoiced greatly as they celebrated, while the priests and other descendants of Levi sang to Yahweh every day, and played musical instruments to praise God.

22 Hezekiah thanked all the descendants of Levi for doing this work for Yahweh, and for very skillfully leading the people who were worshiping. For those seven days the people ate the Passover food and brought offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh and praised Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors belonged to/had worshiped.

23 Then the whole group decided to celebrate for seven more days, so they did: They celebrated joyfully for seven more days. 24 King Hezekiah provided 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep to be slaughtered for the people to eat during the festival, and the officials also gave them 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats. Many priests consecrated themselves. 25 All the people of Judah rejoiced, including the priests and other descendants of Levi and all the people from Israel who had come, and including some from other countries who were living in Israel and some from other countries who were living in Judah. 26 Everyone in Jerusalem was very joyful, because nothing like this had happened in Jerusalem since the time when David’s son Solomon was the king of Israel. 27 The priests and the other descendants of Levi stood up to bless the people, and God heard them in heaven, the holy place where he lives.

1 I am Zechariah, a prophet, the son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo. When Darius had been the emperor of Persia for almost two years, during November of that year, Yahweh gave me this message:

2 "I was very angry with your ancestors. 3 So tell this to the people: I, the Commander of the armies of angels, say, ‘Return to me, and if you do that, I will help you again. 4 Do not be like your ancestors. Other prophets, who have now died, continually proclaimed to your ancestors that they should stop doing the evil things that they were continually doing. But they refused to pay attention to what I said. 5 Your ancestors have died and are now in their graves [RHQ]. And the prophets did not [RHQ] live forever, either. 6 But I punished [IDM] the people for disobeying the commands and the decrees which I commanded my servants the prophets to tell to the people.

Then they ◄repented/turned away from their evil behavior► and said, ‘The Commander of the armies of angels has done to us what we deserved for our evil behavior, just like he said that he would do.’ "

7 Three months later, on February 15, Yahweh gave another message to me.

8 During the night I had a vision. In the vision I saw an angel who was on a red horse. He was in a narrow valley among some myrtle trees. Behind him were angels on red, brown, and white horses.

9 I asked the angel who had been talking to me, "Sir, who are those angels on the horses?"

He replied, "I will show you who they are."

10 Then the angel who had been under the myrtle trees explained. He said, "They are the angels whom Yahweh sent to ◄patrol/see what is happening in► the entire world."

11 Then those angels reported to the angel who was there among the myrtle trees, "We have traveled throughout the world, and we have found out that the army of the emperor of Persia has conquered nations throughout the world, and that those nations are now ◄helpless/unable to resist his army►."

12 Then the angel asked, "Commander of the armies of angels, how long will you continue to not be merciful to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah? You have been angry with them for 70 years!" 13 So Yahweh spoke kindly to the angel who had talked to me, saying things that comforted/encouraged him.

14 Then the angel who had been talking with me said to me, "Proclaim this to the people of Jerusalem: The Commander of the armies of angels says that he is very concerned about the people who live on Zion Hill and in the other parts of Jerusalem. 15 But he is very angry with the nations that are proud and feel safe. He was only a little bit angry with the people of Judah, but he is very angry with the surrounding nations because they caused the people of Judah to experience complete disaster.

16 Therefore, this is what he says: ‘I will again be merciful to the people of Jerusalem, and they will rebuild my temple. Men will measure all the land in the city before they start rebuilding the houses.’

17 The Commander of the armies of angels also said this: ‘Tell the people that the people in my towns in Judah will soon be very prosperous again, and I will encourage the people of Jerusalem, and their city will again be my chosen city.’"

18 Then I looked up, and I saw in front of me four animal horns. 19 I asked the angel who had been speaking to me, "What are those horns?"

He replied, "Those horns represent the armies that forced the people of Jerusalem and other places in Judah and Israel to go to other countries."

20 Then Yahweh showed me four ◄craftsmen/men who make things from metal►. 21 I asked, "What are those men coming to do?"

He replied, "The armies represented by those horns caused the people of Judah to be scattered, with the result that they suffered greatly. But the craftsmen have come to cause those who attacked [IDM] Judah to be terrified and crushed."

19 Since I rebuke and correct all those whom I affectionately love, earnestly stop your sinful behavior.

5 Get rid of your evil practices/deeds [MET, MTY] as though they were enemies whom you were killing (OR, Stop doing evil things [MET, MTY], just as dead people do not do what is evil). Specifically, do not practice sexual immorality. Do not commit unnatural sexual acts. Do not desire to act like that, and do not desire to do anything that is evil. Do not desire to have more things than you need, because, if you do that, you are ◄worshipping material things instead of worshipping God/making material things to become your god►.

13 Do not let any of your body parts do wicked things, as you did [MET] when you were spiritually dead. Instead, present yourselves to God as people who are alive spiritually. Present all your body parts to God, to allow him to use them to do righteous things.

1 My fellow believers, if you discover that a person among your congregation is sinning, those of you whom God’s Spirit is directing and empowering should gently correct that person. Furthermore, each of you who corrects another person should be very cautious in order that you might not sin like that when you are tempted {when something tempts you}.

21 So stop doing all kinds of evil [DOU] things, and humbly obey (OR, submit to) the message that God put in your ◄inner beings/hearts►, because he is able to save you [SYN] if you accept his message.