Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’

不要效法你们列祖。从前的先知呼叫他们说：‘万军之耶和华如此说：你们要回头离开你们的恶道恶行。’他们却不听，也不顺从我。这是耶和华说的。

不要效法你们的祖先。从前的先知呼叫他们说：‘万军之耶和华如此说，当回转离开你们的恶道恶行。’他们却不听，也不顺从我。这是耶和华说的。

不要效法你们的祖先。从前的先知呼叫他们说：‘万军之耶和华如此说，当回转离开你们的恶道恶行。’他们却不听，也不顺从我。这是耶和华说的。

不要像你们的祖先一样。以前的先知曾呼唤他们要听从万军之耶和华的话，改邪归正，停止作恶，他们却置若罔闻，不予理会。这是耶和华说的。

不要效法你们的列祖那样，从前的先知呼唤他们：万军之耶和华这样说，你们要回转，离开你们的恶道和恶行。他们却不听从，也不理会我（这是耶和华的宣告）。

不要效法你們列祖。從前的先知呼叫他們說，萬軍之耶和華如此說：『你們要回頭離開你們的惡道惡行。』他們卻不聽，也不順從我。這是耶和華說的。

不要效法你們的祖先。從前的先知呼叫他們說：『萬軍之耶和華如此說，當回轉離開你們的惡道惡行。』他們卻不聽，也不順從我。這是耶和華說的。

不要效法你們的祖先。從前的先知呼叫他們說：『萬軍之耶和華如此說，當回轉離開你們的惡道惡行。』他們卻不聽，也不順從我。這是耶和華說的。

不要像你們的祖先一樣。以前的先知曾呼喚他們要聽從萬軍之耶和華的話，改邪歸正，停止作惡，他們卻置若罔聞，不予理會。這是耶和華說的。

不要效法你們的列祖那樣，從前的先知呼喚他們：萬軍之耶和華這樣說，你們要回轉，離開你們的惡道和惡行。他們卻不聽從，也不理會我（這是耶和華的宣告）。

不要像你們列祖；從前的神言人呼叫他們說：「萬軍之永恆主這麼說：你們要回轉離開你們的壞行徑、壞作為」。他們卻不聽，不側耳聽我：永恆主發神諭說。

耶和華宣告：『你們不要像你們的祖先！先前的眾先知呼喚他們，說：「萬軍之耶和華如此說：現在你們要回轉離開自己邪惡的道路和邪惡的行為！」他們卻不聽從，也不留心聽我的話。

毋效爾列祖、古先知呼之曰、萬軍之耶和華云、轉離爾之惡途惡行、惟彼不聽、不從我言、耶和華言之矣、

爾勿效祖所為、古先知告之曰、萬有之主耶和華云、棄惡勿作、彼不聽從、

主曰、毋效爾之列祖、昔日之眾先知曾告之曰、萬有之主如是云、爾當悔改、勿行惡道、勿作惡事、勿行惡道勿作惡事或作離爾惡道惡行彼不聽、不順我、此乃主所言、

Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says:‘ Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

“ Do not be like your people of long ago. The earlier prophets gave them my message. I said,‘ Stop doing what is evil. Turn away from your sinful practices.’ But they would not listen to me. They would not pay any attention,” announces the Lord.

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out,‘ Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the LORD of Armies says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not listen or pay attention to me— this is the LORD’s declaration.

“ Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying,‘ This is what the Lord of armies says:“ Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord.

“ Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying,‘ Thus says the Lord of hosts:“ Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.”’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.

Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith Jehovah.

Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not listen or pay attention to Me”— this is the Lord’s declaration.

Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and[ from] your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

“ Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying,‘ The LORD who rules over all says,“ Turn now from your evil wickedness,”’ but they would by no means obey me,” says the LORD.

Don’t you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Yahweh of Armies says,‘ Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;’ but they didn’t hear, nor listen to me, says Yahweh.

Then they will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.

Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.

As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

Time after time I sent you prophets, who told you,“ Turn from your wicked ways, and start doing things right. Stop worshiping other gods so that you might live in peace here in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you would not listen to me or obey me.

Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.“ Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.“ Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.

Then the Lord said,“ Broadcast this message in the streets of Jerusalem. Go from town to town throughout the land and say,‘ Remember the ancient covenant, and do everything it requires.For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,“ Obey me!” I have repeated this warning over and over to this day,but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”

Therefore, say to the people,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’

The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up.Neither the king nor his attendants showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.

“ Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!

that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.They tell the seers,“ Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets,“ Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your‘ Holy One of Israel.’”

Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.And if you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be led away into exile.Say to the king and his mother,“ Come down from your thrones and sit in the dust, for your glorious crowns will soon be snatched from your heads.”

“ This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth— good for nothing!

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down.

For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanityas they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.

I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God— and prove they have changed by the good things they do.

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This is what the Lord said to me:“ Go and stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate where the king goes in and out, and then in each of the other gates.Say to all the people,‘ Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem.This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day.Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but make it a holy day. I gave this command to your ancestors,but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline.

Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned the Lord and his dwelling place; they turned their backs on him.They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.“ That is why the Lord’s anger has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes.Because of this, our fathers have been killed in battle, and our sons and daughters and wives have been captured.But now I will make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.

Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.Don’t just say to each other,‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen.Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said,“ This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple.That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty— by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were,“ May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!”

“ Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them,‘ This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’”

“ But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your Law, they killed your prophets who warned them to return to you, and they committed terrible blasphemies.

Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see.

Though you are such wicked rebels, my people, come and return to the Lord.

Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the Lord says:“ O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever.

Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.

“ For the past twenty three years— from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now— the Lord has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.“ Again and again the Lord has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention.Each time the message was this:‘ Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever.Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’“ But you would not listen to me,” says the Lord.“ You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.

“ We will not listen to your messages from the Lord!

In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them.

“ Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message, right up to the present time.Perhaps the people of Judah will repent when they hear again all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings.”So Jeremiah sent for Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated all the prophecies that the Lord had given him, Baruch wrote them on a scroll.Then Jeremiah said to Baruch,“ I am a prisoner here and unable to go to the Temple.So you go to the Temple on the next day of fasting, and read the messages from the Lord that I have had you write on this scroll. Read them so the people who are there from all over Judah will hear them.Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways and ask the Lord’s forgiveness before it is too late. For the Lord has threatened them with his terrible anger.”Baruch did as Jeremiah told him and read these messages from the Lord to the people at the Temple.He did this on a day of sacred fasting held in late autumn, during the fifth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah. People from all over Judah had come to Jerusalem to attend the services at the Temple on that day.Baruch read Jeremiah’s words on the scroll to all the people. He stood in front of the Temple room of Gemariah, son of Shaphan the secretary. This room was just off the upper courtyard of the Temple, near the New Gate entrance.

“ Again and again I sent my servants, the prophets, to plead with them,‘ Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’But my people would not listen or turn back from their wicked ways. They kept on burning incense to these gods.

and if you will not listen to my servants, the prophets— for I sent them again and again to warn you, but you would not listen to them—

“ Don’t say such things,” the people respond.“ Don’t prophesy like that. Such disasters will never come our way!”

“ Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.”

So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:“‘ Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land.But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant,“ The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!”But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.

“ You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One— the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.

This is what the Lord says:“ Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply,‘ No, that’s not the road we want!’I posted watchmen over you who said,‘ Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied,‘ No! We won’t pay attention!’

“ But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands.

“ But suppose that sinful son, in turn, has a son who sees his father’s wickedness and decides against that kind of life.This son refuses to worship idols on the mountains and does not commit adultery.He does not exploit the poor, but instead is fair to debtors and does not rob them. He gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy.He helps the poor, does not lend money at interest, and obeys all my regulations and decrees. Such a person will not die because of his father’s sins; he will surely live.

But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard hearted and stubborn.But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard hearted as they are.I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.”

From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today.

“ Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing.They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.“ Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.