“ Haven’t you noticed what these people are saying? They say,‘ The Lord once chose the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. But now he has turned his back on them.’ So they hate my people. They do not think of them as a nation anymore.

“你没有揣摩这百姓的话吗？他们说：‘耶和华所拣选的二族，他已经弃绝了。’他们这样藐视我的百姓，以为不再成国。

“你没有留意这百姓所说的话吗？他们说：‘耶和华所拣选的二族，他已经弃绝了。’他们这样藐视我的百姓，不把他们当作国来看待。

“你没有留意这百姓所说的话吗？他们说：‘耶和华所拣选的二族，他已经弃绝了。’他们这样藐视我的百姓，不把他们当作国来看待。

“你听见了吗？人们说，‘耶和华已经弃绝了祂所拣选的以色列和犹大两个国家。’他们藐视我的子民，视他们为亡国之民。

“你没有留意列国的人民说什么吗？他们说：‘耶和华所拣选的这两个家族，他已经弃绝了。’他们藐视我的子民，不再把他们看为一个国家。

「你沒有揣摩這百姓的話嗎？他們說：『耶和華所揀選的二族，他已經棄絕了。』他們這樣藐視我的百姓，以為不再成國。

「你沒有留意這百姓所說的話嗎？他們說：『耶和華所揀選的二族，他已經棄絕了。』他們這樣藐視我的百姓，不把他們當作國來看待。

「你沒有留意這百姓所說的話嗎？他們說：『耶和華所揀選的二族，他已經棄絕了。』他們這樣藐視我的百姓，不把他們當作國來看待。

「你聽見了嗎？人們說，『耶和華已經棄絕了祂所揀選的以色列和猶大兩個國家。』他們藐視我的子民，視他們為亡國之民。

“你沒有留意列國的人民說甚麼嗎？他們說：‘耶和華所揀選的這兩個家族，他已經棄絕了。’他們藐視我的子民，不再把他們看為一個國家。

『這人民講些甚麼話你沒有看明白麼？他們說：「永恆主所揀選的二族、他已經棄絕了」，因此列國的人就藐視我的人民，不再拿他們當列國中的一國看待。

斯民所云、耶和華已棄其所選之二族、其言爾不思之乎、彼若斯篾視我民、以為不復成國、

爾聞人言、昔耶和華所選之二族、今遐棄之、於是人藐視我民、不以為邦國、

斯民所言、爾不知乎、彼曰、昔主所選之二族、今已棄之、彼如是藐視我民、目中視之不復為邦國、

“ Have you not noticed that these people are saying,‘ The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation.

“ Have you not observed that these people are saying,‘ The Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.

“ Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘ The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’ They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.

“ Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say,‘ The LORD has rejected the two families he had chosen.’ My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them.

“ Have you not observed what these people have asserted, saying,‘ The two families which the Lord chose, He has rejected them’? So they despise My people as no longer being a nation in their sight.

“ Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying,‘ The two families which the Lord has chosen, He has also cast them off’? Thus they have despised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them.

Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which Jehovah did choose, he hath cast them off? thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

“ Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say,‘ The Lord has rejected the two families He had chosen.’ My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them.

Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

“ You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying,‘ The LORD has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation.

“ Don’t consider what this people has spoken, saying,‘ Has Yahweh cast off the two families which he chose?’ Thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.”

He spoke to his friends and the army of Samaria. He said,“ What are those Jews trying to do? Can they make their city wall like new again? Will they offer sacrifices? Can they finish everything in a single day? The stones from their city wall and buildings are piled up like trash. And everything has been badly burned. Can they use those stones to rebuild everything again?”Tobiah from Ammon was at Sanballat’s side. He said,“ What are they building? They’re putting up a stone wall. But suppose a fox climbs on top of it. Even that will break it down!”I prayed to God. I said,“ Our God, please listen to our prayer. Some people hate us. They’re saying bad things about us. So let others say bad things about them. Let them be carried off like stolen goods. Let them be taken to another country as prisoners.

“ Come,” they say.“ Let’s destroy that whole nation. Then the name of Israel won’t be remembered anymore.”

You have made us something that our neighbors laugh at. Those who live around us make fun of us and tease us.The nations make jokes about us. They shake their heads at us.

“ Go away! You are‘ unclean’!” people cry out to them.“ Go away! Get out of here! Don’t touch us!” So they run away and wander around. Then people among the nations say,“ They can’t stay here anymore.”

The Lord won’t say no to his people. He will never desert those who belong to him.

Only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken. Only then could my covenant with the Levites who serve me as priests be broken. Only then would David no longer have someone from his family line to rule on his throne.Here is what I will do for my servant David. And here is what I will do for the Levites who serve me. I will make their children after them as many as the stars in the sky. And I will make them as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. It will be impossible to count them.”

All those who pass by clap their hands and make fun of you. They laugh at you and shake their heads at the city of Jerusalem. They say,“ Could that be the city that was called perfect and beautiful? Is that the city that brought joy to everyone on earth?”All your enemies open their mouths wide against you. They laugh at you and grind their teeth. They say,“ We have swallowed up Jerusalem’s people. This is the day we’ve waited for. And we’ve lived to see it.”

“ Son of man, Tyre laughed because of what happened to Jerusalem. The people of Tyre said,‘ Jerusalem is the gateway to the nations. But the gate is broken. Its doors have swung open to us. Jerusalem has been destroyed. So now we will succeed.’ ”

There I will make them one nation. They will live on the mountains of Israel. All of them will have one king. They will never be two nations again. They will never again be separated into two kingdoms.

Tell them,‘ Listen to the message of the Lord and King. He says,“ You laughed when my temple was made‘ unclean.’ You also laughed when the land of Israel was completely destroyed. You mocked the people of Judah when they were taken away as prisoners.

So here is what I ask. Did God turn his back on his people? Not at all! I myself belong to Israel. I am one of Abraham’s children. I am from the tribe of Benjamin.God didn’t turn his back on his people. After all, he chose them. Don’t you know what Scripture says about Elijah? He complained to God about Israel.He said,“ Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have torn down your altars. I’m the only one left. And they are trying to kill me.”( 1 Kings 19:10, 14)How did God answer him? God said,“ I have kept 7,000 people for myself. They have not bowed down to Baal.”( 1 Kings 19:18)Some are also faithful today. They have been chosen by God’s grace.And if they are chosen by grace, then they can’t work for it. If that were true, grace wouldn’t be grace anymore.

The Lord and King says,“ Your enemies made fun of you. They bragged,‘ The hills you lived in for a long time belong to us now.’ ” ’

But he had found out who Mordecai’s people were. So he didn’t want to kill only Mordecai. He also looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people. They were Jews. He wanted to kill all of them everywhere in the kingdom of Xerxes.The lot was cast in front of Haman. The lot was called Pur. It was cast in the first month of the 12th year that Xerxes was king. That month was called Nisan. The lot was cast to choose a day and a month. The month chosen was the 12th month. That month was called Adar.Then Haman said to King Xerxes,“ Certain people are scattered among the nations. They live in all the territories in your kingdom. They keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their practices are different from the practices of all other people. They don’t obey your laws. It really isn’t good for you to put up with them.

“‘ “You said,‘ The nations of Israel and Judah will belong to us. We will take them over.’ You said that, even though I was there. I am the Lord.You were full of anger, jealousy and hatred toward my people. So I will punish you. When I judge you, they will know that I am the Lord. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.“ You will know that I have heard all the terrible things you said. You said them about those who live in the mountains of Israel. You made fun of them. You said,‘ They have been destroyed. They’ve been handed over to us. Let’s wipe them out.’You bragged that you were better than I am. You spoke against me. You did not hold anything back. But I heard it.” ’ ”The Lord and King says,“ The whole earth will be glad. But I will make your land empty.You were happy when the land of Israel became empty. So I will treat you in the same way. Mount Seir, you will be empty. So will the whole land of Edom. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

But I will make you healthy again. I will heal your wounds,” announces the Lord.“ That’s because you have been thrown out. You are called Zion, the one no one cares about.”

Lord, have mercy on us. Have mercy on us, because people haven’t stopped making fun of us.We have had to put up with a lot from those who are proud. They were always laughing at us.

They say,“ God has deserted him. Go after him and grab him. No one will save him.”