“ I punished your people. But it did not do them any good. They did not pay attention when they were corrected. You have killed your prophets by swords. You have swallowed them up like a hungry lion.

我责打你们的儿女是徒然的，他们不受惩治。你们自己的刀吞灭你们的先知，好像残害的狮子。

我责打你们的儿女是徒然的，他们不受管教。你们自己的刀吞灭你们的先知，好像残害人的狮子。

我责打你们的儿女是徒然的，他们不受管教。你们自己的刀吞灭你们的先知，好像残害人的狮子。

我责打你们的儿女，却是徒劳，因为他们不受管教。你们杀害你们的先知，残暴如狮子。

“我责打你们的儿女也是没用，因为他们不受管教。你们的刀剑，像灭命的狮子吞噬你们的先知。

我責打你們的兒女是徒然的，他們不受懲治。你們自己的刀吞滅你們的先知，好像殘害的獅子。

我責打你們的兒女是徒然的，他們不受管教。你們自己的刀吞滅你們的先知，好像殘害人的獅子。

我責打你們的兒女是徒然的，他們不受管教。你們自己的刀吞滅你們的先知，好像殘害人的獅子。

我責打你們的兒女，卻是徒勞，因為他們不受管教。你們殺害你們的先知，殘暴如獅子。

“我責打你們的兒女也是沒用，因為他們不受管教。你們的刀劍，像滅命的獅子吞噬你們的先知。

我責打你們的兒女、也是枉然；他們不接受懲治；你們自己的刀吞滅了你們的神言人，像殘害人的獅子。

我責爾子、乃徒然也、彼不受教、爾刃如猛獅、吞噬爾先知、

吾督責爾赤子、仍不受教、使我徒勞、惟爾手刃先知、若猛獅吞噬。

我責爾子亦徒然、彼不受教、爾刃殺爾諸先知若猛獅殘傷、

“ In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravenous lion.

In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.

“ I have punished your children, but they did not respond to my discipline. You yourselves have killed your prophets as a lion kills its prey.

I have struck down your children in vain; they would not accept discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a ravaging lion.

“ In vain I have struck your sons; They did not accept discipline. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.

“ In vain I have chastened your children; They received no correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.

In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

I have struck down your children in vain; they would not accept discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a ravaging lion.

In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

“ It did no good for me to punish your people. They did not respond to such correction. You slaughtered your prophets like a voracious lion.”

“ I have struck your children in vain. They received no correction. Your own sword has devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

“ But they didn’t obey you. Instead, they turned against you. They turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets. The prophets had warned them to return to you. But they did very evil things that dishonored you.

The Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets also forced us to leave. They do not please God. They are enemies of everyone.

Was there ever a prophet your people didn’t try to hurt? They even killed those who told about the coming of the Blameless One. And now you have handed him over to his enemies. You have murdered him.

Uriah was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord. He was from Kiriath Jearim. He was the son of Shemaiah. Uriah prophesied against this city and this land. He said the same things Jeremiah did.King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard Uriah’s words. So the king decided to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it. He was afraid. And he ran away to Egypt.So King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan to Egypt. He also sent some other men along with him. Elnathan was the son of Akbor.Those men brought Uriah out of Egypt. They took him to King Jehoiakim. Then the king had Uriah struck down with a sword. He had Uriah’s body thrown into one of the graves of the ordinary people.In spite of that, Ahikam stood up for Jeremiah. Ahikam was the son of Shaphan. Because of Ahikam, Jeremiah wasn’t handed over to the people to be put to death.

Israel, why do you want to be beaten all the time? Why do you always refuse to obey the Lord? Your head is covered with wounds. Your whole heart is weak.

Lord, don’t your eyes look for truth? You struck down your people. But they didn’t feel any pain. You crushed them. But they refused to be corrected. They made their faces harder than stone. They refused to turn away from their sins.

So say to them,‘ You are a nation that has not obeyed the Lord your God. You did not pay attention when you were corrected. Truth has died out. You do not tell the truth anymore.’ ”

But his people have not returned to the God who struck them down. They haven’t turned for help to the Lord who rules over all.

“ How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You build tombs for the prophets. You decorate the graves of the godly.

There were people who were not killed by these plagues. But they still didn’t turn away from what they had been doing. They did not stop worshiping demons. They kept worshiping statues of gods made out of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood. These statues can’t see or hear or walk.The people also did not turn away from their murders, witchcraft, sexual sins and stealing.

But the people made evil plans against Zechariah. The king ordered them to kill Zechariah by throwing stones at him. They did it in the courtyard of the Lord’ s temple.

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.”

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.”

So I am sending you prophets, wise people, and teachers. You will kill some of them. You will nail some to a cross. Others you will whip in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town.So you will pay for all the godly people’s blood spilled on earth. I mean from the blood of godly Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berekiah. Zechariah was the one you murdered between the temple and the altar.What I’m about to tell you is true. All this will happen to those who are now living.“ Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. And you would not let me!

“ Jerusalem, you are really impure. I tried to clean you up. But you would not let me make you pure. So you will not be clean again until I am no longer so angry with you.

But God’s people made fun of his messengers. They hated his words. They laughed at his prophets. Finally the Lord’ s great anger was stirred up against his people. Nothing could save them.

In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day. Certainly no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!“ Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. And you would not let me.

“ But the renters grabbed his slaves. They beat one of them. They killed another. They threw stones at the third to kill him.Then the man sent other slaves to the renters. He sent more than he did the first time. The renters treated them the same way.

They don’t obey anyone. They don’t accept the Lord’ s warnings. They don’t trust in him. They don’t ask their God for his help.

At harvest time he sent a servant to the renters. He told the servant to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.But they grabbed the servant and beat him up. Then they sent him away with nothing.So the man sent another servant to the renters. They hit this one on the head and treated him badly.The man sent still another servant. The renters killed him. The man sent many others. The renters beat up some of them. They killed the others.“ The man had one person left to send. It was his son, and he loved him. He sent him last of all. He said,‘ They will respect my son.’“ But the renters said to each other,‘ This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come, let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’So they took him and killed him. They threw him out of the vineyard.

The fire is made very hot so the lead will burn away. But it is impossible to make these people pure. Those who are evil are not removed.They are like silver that is thrown away. That is because I have not accepted them.”

“ I have heard the groans of Ephraim’s people. They say,‘ You corrected us like a calf you were training. And we have been trained. Bring us back to you, and we will come back. You are the Lord our God.

When King Ahaz was in trouble, he became even more unfaithful to the Lord.

“ How terrible for you! You build tombs for the prophets. It was your people of long ago who killed them.So you show that you agree with what your people did long ago. They killed the prophets, and now you build the prophets’ tombs.So God in his wisdom said,‘ I will send prophets and apostles to them. They will kill some. And they will try to hurt others.’So the people of today will be punished. They will pay for all the prophets’ blood spilled since the world began.I mean from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah. He was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I tell you, the people of today will be punished for all these things.

They were burned by the blazing heat. So they spoke evil things against the name of God, who controlled these plagues. But they refused to turn away from their sins. They did not give glory to God.