“ But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example.

“他若生一个儿子，见父亲所犯的一切罪便惧怕，不照样去做；

“看哪，他若生了儿子，儿子见父亲所犯的一切罪，他见了，却不照样去做；

“看哪，他若生了儿子，儿子见父亲所犯的一切罪，他见了，却不照样去做；

“倘若这不肖子有一个好儿子，他看见父亲的所作所为，不愿步父亲的后尘。

“他若生一个儿子，这儿子看见他父亲所犯的一切罪，他虽然看见了，却不照样去作：

「他若生一個兒子，見父親所犯的一切罪便懼怕，不照樣去做；

「看哪，他若生了兒子，兒子見父親所犯的一切罪，他見了，卻不照樣去做；

「看哪，他若生了兒子，兒子見父親所犯的一切罪，他見了，卻不照樣去做；

「倘若這不肖子有一個好兒子，他看見父親的所作所為，不願步父親的後塵。

“他若生一個兒子，這兒子看見他父親所犯的一切罪，他雖然看見了，卻不照樣去作：

『但是他若生個兒子，這兒子見他父親所犯的一切罪，便懼怕，不照樣去行；

設斯人生子、見父所犯諸罪、則懼、而不效之、

如此惡人有子、見父作惡、思改其行、

如彼有有原文作生子、見父所作之罪、而自忖思、不效之以行、

“ But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

“ But suppose this son has a son of his own. And the son sees all the sins his father commits. He sees them, but he does not do them.

“ Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise:

“ But suppose that sinful son, in turn, has a son who sees his father’s wickedness and decides against that kind of life.

“ Now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do likewise.

“ Now behold, he has fathered a son who saw all his father’s sins which he committed, but he has seen them and does not do likewise.

“ If, however, he begets a son Who sees all the sins which his father has done, And considers but does not do likewise;

Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins, which he hath done, and feareth, and doeth not such like;

“ Now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do likewise.

Now, lo,[ if] he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

“ Now, behold, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father’s sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like;

“ Go, seek an oracle from the LORD for me and those who remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the LORD’s fury has been ignited against us, because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the LORD by doing all that this scroll instructs!”

The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly; whoever fathers a wise child will have joy in him.

Because he considered and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die.

They do not realize that I remember all of their wicked deeds. Their evil deeds have now surrounded them; their sinful deeds are always before me.

I have listened to them very carefully, but they do not speak honestly. None of them regrets the evil he has done. None of them says,“ I have done wrong!” All of them persist in their own wayward course like a horse charging recklessly into battle.

Here then is what the LORD who rules over all says:‘ Think carefully about what you are doing.

Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!

“‘ But I said to their children in the wilderness,“ Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

‘ Think carefully about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, to the day work on the temple of the LORD was resumed, think about it.

No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:‘ I burned half of it in the fire– yes, I baked bread over the coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?’

But when he came to his senses he said,‘ How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!I will get up and go to my father and say to him,“ Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”’

“ Moreover, the LORD who rules over all says:‘ Pay close attention to these things also.

“ Suppose such a man has a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things mentioned previously

Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do. We will sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven just as we and our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders previously did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and had no troubles.

You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed– not by perishable things like silver or gold,

In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the LORD’s temple and repaired them.He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side.He said to them:“ Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the LORD God of your ancestors! Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean!For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of the LORD our God and abandoned him! They turned away from the LORD’s dwelling place and rejected him.They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.The LORD was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, as you can see with your own eyes.Look, our fathers died violently and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off because of this.Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.”

I consider my actions and follow your rules.I keep your commands eagerly and without delay.

Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to the gods called Baal, as their fathers taught them to do.

Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy.