I spoke to the prophets. They saw many visions. I gave you warnings through them.”

“我已晓谕众先知，并且加增默示，藉先知设立比喻。”

我已吩咐众先知，又增加异象，藉先知设比喻。

我已吩咐众先知，又增加异象，藉先知设比喻。

我曾对先知讲话，赐给他们许多异象，借他们用比喻警告你们。”

我曾对先知说话，加添许多异象；又藉先知说比喻。

我已曉諭眾先知，並且加增默示，藉先知設立比喻。

我已吩咐眾先知，又增加異象，藉先知設比喻。

我已吩咐眾先知，又增加異象，藉先知設比喻。

我曾對先知講話，賜給他們許多異象，藉他們用比喻警告你們。」

我曾對先知說話，加添許多異象；又藉先知說比喻。

我向眾神言人說了話；是我加多了異象，由眾神言人經手用比喻說的。

我曾諭諸先知、增加異象、藉先知以設譬、

我叠顯異象、屢使先知罕譬而喻、以告斯民、

我屢諭先知、多賜默示、藉諸先知設譬、以教斯民、

I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them.”

I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables.

I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions and parables.”

I will speak through the prophets and grant many visions; I will give parables through the prophets.

I have also spoken to the prophets, And I provided many visions, And through the prophets I spoke in parables.

I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.”

I have also spoken unto the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the prophets have I used similitudes.

I spoke through the prophets and granted many visions; I gave parables through the prophets.

I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.

I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets.”

I have also spoken to the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the prophets I have used parables.

The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers. He said,“ Turn from your evil ways. Keep my commands and rules. Obey every part of my Law. I commanded your people who lived long ago to obey it. And I gave it to you through my servants the prophets.”

Then I said,“ Lord and King, people are talking about me. They are saying,‘ Isn’t he just telling stories?’ ”

“ After that, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams. Your young men will have visions.

“ Son of man, get a block of clay. Put it in front of you. Draw the city of Jerusalem on it.Then pretend to surround it and attack it. Make some little models of war machines. Build a ramp up to it. Set camps up around it. Surround it with models of logs to be used for knocking down its gates.Then get an iron pan. Put it between you and the city. Pretend it is an iron wall. Turn your face toward the city. It will be under attack when you begin to attack it. That will show the people of Israel what is going to happen to Jerusalem.“ Next, lie down on your left side. Pretend that you are putting Israel’s sin on yourself. Keep their sin on you for the number of days you lie on your side.Let each day you lie there stand for one year of their sin. So you will keep Israel’s sin on you for 390 days.

Again and again I sent my servants the prophets to you. They came to you day after day. They prophesied from the time your people left Egypt until now.

Three years earlier the Lord had spoken to Isaiah, the son of Amoz. The Lord had said,“ Take off the rough clothing you are wearing. And take off your sandals.” So Isaiah did. He went around barefoot and naked.After Ashdod was captured, the Lord said,“ My servant Isaiah has gone around barefoot and naked for three years. He is a sign and reminder to Egypt and Cush about what will happen to them.The king of Assyria will lead prisoners away from Egypt and Cush. Young people and old people alike will be taken away. Like Isaiah, they will be barefoot and naked. Their backsides will be bare. So the Egyptians will be put to shame.People trusted in Cush to help them. They bragged about what Egypt could do for them. But they will lose heart and be put to shame.

He said,“‘ In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will have dreams.

Elijah went there and stood in front of the people. He said,“ How long will it take you to make up your minds? If the Lord is the one and only God, worship him. But if Baal is the one and only God, worship him.” The people didn’t say anything.Then Elijah said to them,“ I’m the only one of the Lord’ s prophets left. But Baal has 450 prophets.Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves. Let them cut it into pieces. Then let them put it on the wood. But don’t let them set fire to it. I’ll prepare the other bull. I’ll put it on the wood. But I won’t set fire to it.Then you pray to your god. And I’ll pray to the Lord. The god who answers by sending fire down is the one and only God.” Then all the people said,“ What you are saying is good.”Elijah said to the prophets of Baal,“ Choose one of the bulls. There are many of you. So prepare your bull first. Pray to your god. But don’t light the fire.”So they prepared the bull they had been given. They prayed to Baal from morning until noon.“ Baal! Answer us!” they shouted. But there wasn’t any reply. No one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.At noon Elijah began to tease them.“ Shout louder!” he said.“ I’m sure Baal is a god! Perhaps he has too much to think about. Or maybe he has gone to the toilet. Or perhaps he’s away on a trip. Maybe he’s sleeping. You might have to wake him up.”So they shouted louder. They cut themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed. That’s what they usually did when things really looked hopeless.It was now past noon. The prophets of Baal continued to prophesy with all their might. They did it until the time came to offer the evening sacrifice. But there wasn’t any reply. No one answered. No one paid any attention.Then Elijah said to all the people,“ Come here to me.” So they went to him. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord. It had been torn down.Elijah got 12 stones. There was one for each tribe in the family line of Jacob. The Lord’ s message had come to Jacob. It had said,“ Your name will be Israel.”Elijah used the stones to build an altar to honor the Lord. He dug a ditch around it. The ditch was large enough to hold 24 pounds of seeds.He arranged the wood for the fire. He cut the bull into pieces. He placed the pieces on the wood. Then he said to some of the people,“ Fill four large jars with water. Pour it on the offering and the wood.” So they did.“ Do it again,” he said. So they did it again.“ Do it a third time,” he ordered. And they did it the third time.The water ran down around the altar. It even filled the ditch.When it was time to offer the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward. He prayed,“ Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Today let everyone know that you are God in Israel. Let them know I’m your servant. Let them know I’ve done all these things because you commanded me to.Answer me. Lord, answer me. Then these people will know that you are the one and only God. They’ll know that you are turning their hearts back to you again.”The fire of the Lord came down. It burned up the sacrifice. It burned up the wood and the stones and the soil. It even dried up the water in the ditch.All the people saw it. Then they fell down flat with their faces toward the ground. They cried out,“ The Lord is the one and only God! The Lord is the one and only God!”Then Elijah commanded them,“ Grab the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one of them get away!” So they grabbed them. Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley. There he had them put to death.

A man of God went from Judah to Bethel. He had received a message from the Lord. He arrived in Bethel just as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer a sacrifice.

The Lord said to me,“ Go. Show your love to your wife again. She is loved by another man. And she has committed adultery. But I want you to love her just as I love the people of Israel. They turn to other gods. And they love to offer raisin cakes to Baal and eat them. In spite of that, I love my people.”

A message from the Lord came to me. Here is what the Lord said.“ Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from the wood of any tree in the forest?Can its wood ever be made into anything useful? Can pegs be made from it to hang things on?Suppose it is thrown in the fire to be burned. And the fire burns both ends and blackens the middle. Then is the wood useful for anything?It was not useful when it was whole. So how can it be made into something useful now? The fire has burned it and blackened it.”Here is what the Lord and King says.“ Instead of the wood of any tree in the forest, I have given the vine to burn in the fire. I will treat the people who live in Jerusalem the same way.I will turn against them. They might have come out of the fire. But the fire will destroy them anyway. I will turn against them. Then you will know that I am the Lord.I will make the land a dry and empty desert. My people have not been faithful to me,” announces the Lord and King.

The Lord said to me,“ Go and buy a linen belt. Put it around your waist. But do not let it get wet.”So I bought a belt, just as the Lord had told me to do. And I put it around my waist.Then another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Take off the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist. Go to Perath. Hide the belt there in a crack in the rocks.”So I went and hid it at Perath. I did just as the Lord had told me to do.Many days later the Lord said to me,“ Go to Perath. Get the belt I told you to hide there.”So I went to Perath. I dug up the belt. I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But it had rotted. It was completely useless.Then another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ In the same way, I will destroy Judah’s pride. And I will destroy the great pride of Jerusalem.These people are evil. They refuse to listen to what I say. They do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They chase after other gods. They serve them and worship them. So they will be like this belt. They will be completely useless.A belt is tied around a person’s waist. In the same way, I tied all the people of Israel to me. I also tied all the people of Judah to me like a belt. I wanted them to be my people. They should have brought me fame and praise and honor. But they have not listened to me,” announces the Lord.“ Tell them,‘ The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,“ Every wineskin should be filled with wine.” ’ Here is what the people might say to you.‘ Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’If they do, here is what you must tell them.‘ The Lord says,“ I am going to fill with wine everyone who lives in this land. I will make the kings who sit on David’s throne drunk. And I will fill with wine the priests, the prophets and everyone who lives in Jerusalem.I will smash them against one another. I will punish parents and children alike,” announces the Lord.“ I will not feel sorry for them. I will not show them any kindness. My tender love for them will not keep me from destroying them.” ’ ”

The Lord began to speak through Hosea. He said to him,“ Go. Marry a woman who has sex with anyone she wants. Have children with her. Do this because the people of the land are like that kind of wife. They have not been faithful to me.”So Hosea married Gomer. She was the daughter of Diblaim. Gomer became pregnant and had a son by Hosea.Then the Lord said to Hosea,“ Name him Jezreel. That’s because I will soon punish Jehu’s royal family. He killed many people at the city of Jezreel. So I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.At that time I will break their military power. It will happen in the Valley of Jezreel.”

“ The Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you. They’ve come to you again and again. But you haven’t listened. You haven’t paid any attention to them.

“ Jeremiah, break the jar while those who go with you are watching.

Go. Tell Jeroboam that the Lord has a message for him. The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ I chose you from among the people. I appointed you king over my people Israel.I tore the kingdom away from the royal house of David. I gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David. He obeyed my commands. He followed me with all his heart. He did only what was right in my eyes.You have done more evil things than all those who lived before you. You have made other gods for yourself. You have made statues of gods out of metal. You have made me very angry. You have turned your back on me.“‘ Because of that, I am going to bring horrible trouble on your royal house. I will cut off from you every male in Israel. It does not matter whether they are slaves or free. I will burn up your royal house, just as someone burns up trash. I will burn it until it is all gone.Some of the people who belong to you will die in the city. Dogs will eat them up. Others will die in the country. The birds will eat them. The Lord has spoken!’“ Now go back home. When you enter your city, your son will die.All the Israelites will mourn for him. Then he will be buried. He is the only one who belongs to Jeroboam who will be buried. That is because he is the only one in Jeroboam’s royal house in whom I have found anything good. I am the Lord, the God of Israel.“ I will choose for myself a king over Israel. He will destroy the family of Jeroboam. This day your son will die. Even now this is beginning to happen.I, the Lord, will strike down Israel. Israel will be like tall grass swaying in the water. I will pull Israel up from this good land by the roots. I gave it to their people who lived long ago. I will scatter Israel to the east side of the Euphrates River. That is because they made the Lord very angry. They made poles used to worship the female god named Asherah.I will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed. He has also caused Israel to commit those same sins.”

He replied,“ Lord God who rules over all, I’ve been very committed to you. The Israelites have turned their backs on your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They’ve put your prophets to death with their swords. I’m the only one left. And they are trying to kill me.”

Then the Lord said,“ Listen to my words.“ Suppose there is a prophet among you. I, the Lord, make myself known to them in visions. I speak to them in dreams.

The Lord said to Jeremiah,“ Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people. Also tell some of the priests to go with you.

For many years you put up with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. In spite of that, they didn’t pay any attention. So you handed them over to the nations that were around them.

God has shown me amazing and wonderful things. People should not think more of me because of it. So I wouldn’t become proud of myself, I was given a problem. This problem caused pain in my body. It is a messenger from Satan to make me suffer.

Amos answered Amaziah,“ I was not a prophet. I wasn’t even the son of a prophet. I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore- fig trees.

Elijah was from Tishbe in the land of Gilead. He said to Ahab,“ I serve the Lord. He is the God of Israel. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that there won’t be any dew or rain on the whole land. There won’t be any during the next few years. It won’t come until I say so.”

I will sing a song for the Lord. He is the one I love. It’s a song about his vineyard Israel. The one I love had a vineyard. It was on a hillside that had rich soil.He dug up the soil and removed its stones. He planted the very best vines in it. He built a lookout tower there. He also cut out a winepress for it. Then he kept looking for a crop of good grapes. But the vineyard produced only bad fruit.So the Lord said,“ People of Jerusalem and Judah, you be the judge between me and my vineyard.What more could I have done for my vineyard? I did everything I could. I kept looking for a crop of good grapes. So why did it produce only bad ones?Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard. I will take away its fence. And the vineyard will be destroyed. I will break down its wall. And people will walk all over my vineyard.I will turn my vineyard into a dry and empty desert. It will not be pruned or taken care of. Thorns and bushes will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”The vineyard of the Lord who rules over all is the nation of Israel. The people of Judah are the vines he took delight in. He kept looking for them to do what is fair. But all he saw was blood being spilled. He kept looking for them to do what is right. But all he heard were cries of suffering.

We can’t gain anything by bragging. But I have to do it anyway. I am going to tell you what I’ve seen. I want to talk about what the Lord has shown me.