Though they endured the fierce heat, yet the people continued to blaspheme God. They cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, and refused to repent and give him glory.
Why would you seek to be injured further? Why would you stubbornly continue in your rebellion? Your whole head is sick, and your heart and your will are weak and faint.
They will wander here and there, distressed and hungry. And when they are famished, they will be enraged and begin to curse their king and their God. If they look to the heavens
Yahweh, your eyes search for truth. You struck them down, but they felt no pain. You nearly destroyed them, but they still refused to accept correction. Their stubborn faces hardened like rock; they defiantly refused to repent.
“ ‘Jerusalem, the filth of your sexual immorality is infamous. Although I have tried to purify you, you were not cleansed of your filth, so now you will never be purged of your filth until I have emptied out my fury upon you.
I’m actually afraid that on my next visit my God will humble me in front of you as I shed tears over those who keep sinning without repenting of their impurity, sexual immorality, and perversion.
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and confess. Tell me the truth and do not hide anything from him. What have you done?”
At that very moment there was a powerful earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed, killing seven thousand people. The rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
With a loud voice he shouted, “You must reverence God and glorify him, for the time has come for him to judge. Worship at the feet of the Creator of heaven, earth, sea, and springs of water.”
Enormous hailstones, each weighing nearly one hundred pounds, fell from the sky and struck the people, yet they continued to curse God because of the horrendous plague of hail.
Those not killed by these plagues did not repent of their deeds so that they would stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—blind and mute idols that have to be carried around.