But now you have turned around. You have treated my name as if it were not holy. Each of you has taken back your male and female slaves. You had set them free to go where they wished. But now you have forced them to become your slaves again.”

你们却又反悔，亵渎我的名，各人叫所任去随意自由的仆人婢女回来，勉强他们仍为仆婢。’

你们却反悔，亵渎我的名，各人叫所释放得自由的仆人婢女回来，强迫他们仍为仆婢。

你们却反悔，亵渎我的名，各人叫所释放得自由的仆人婢女回来，强迫他们仍为仆婢。

然而，你们却反悔，各自抓回先前释放的奴隶，再次奴役他们，亵渎了我的名。

你们却又反悔，亵渎我的名；各人把得了释放随意离去的奴婢叫回来，强迫他们再作奴婢。’

你們卻又反悔，褻瀆我的名，各人叫所任去隨意自由的僕人婢女回來，勉強他們仍為僕婢。

你們卻反悔，褻瀆我的名，各人叫所釋放得自由的僕人婢女回來，強迫他們仍為僕婢。

你們卻反悔，褻瀆我的名，各人叫所釋放得自由的僕人婢女回來，強迫他們仍為僕婢。

然而，你們卻反悔，各自抓回先前釋放的奴隸，再次奴役他們，褻瀆了我的名。

你們卻又反悔，褻瀆我的名；各人把得了釋放隨意離去的奴婢叫回來，強迫他們再作奴婢。’

你們卻又後悔，褻瀆了我的名，各人叫所送出去隨意自由的奴僕和婢女又回來，強迫他們仍做你們的僕婢。

後乃反悔、褻瀆我名、各使所釋自由之僕婢、歸而事爾、仍為僕婢、

厥後爾曹易其素志、瀆我聖名、所釋之僕婢、仍使供役、

爾又後悔、褻瀆我名、以所釋任意自由之奴婢、復使之歸、強之仍為奴婢、

But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, forcing them to be slaves once again.

But you have changed your minds and profaned my name. Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been let go free to go wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your slaves.

Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each person took back his male servant and each his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male and female servants.’

Then you turned around and profaned My name, and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves, whom you had set at liberty, at their pleasure, and brought them back into subjection, to be your male and female slaves.’

but ye turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

But you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been freed to go wherever they wanted, and you have again subjugated them to be your slaves.

But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

But then you turned right around and showed that you did not honor me. Each of you took back your male and female slaves whom you had freed as they desired, and you forced them to be your slaves again.

but you turned and profaned my name, and every man caused his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return. You brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.’”

“‘ Do not give your word in my name and then be a false witness. That would be treating the name of your God as if it were not holy. I am the Lord.

“ Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.

But later they changed their minds. They took back the people they had set free. They made them slaves again.

“ Suppose a godly person stops doing what is right. And they sin. They do the same evil things a sinful person does. They do things I hate. Then they will not live. I will not remember any of the right things they have done. They have not been faithful to me. They have also committed many other sins. So they are guilty. They will die.

“ Or suppose a godly person turns away from their godliness and does what is evil. And suppose I put something in their way that will trip them up. Then they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The godly things that person did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for their death.

“ I am very sad I have made Saul king. He has turned away from me. He has not done what I directed him to do.” When Samuel heard that, he was angry. He cried out to the Lord during that whole night.

“ But then that servant went out and found one of the other servants who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him.‘ Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.“ The other servant fell on his knees.‘ Give me time,’ he begged him.‘ I’ll pay it back.’“ But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison. The man would be held there until he could pay back what he owed.The other servants saw what had happened and were very angry. They went and told their master everything that had happened.“ Then the master called the first servant in.‘ You evil servant,’ he said.‘ I forgave all that you owed me because you begged me to.Shouldn’t you have had mercy on the other servant just as I had mercy on you?’In anger his master handed him over to the jailers. He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.

“‘ Zedekiah will die in Babylon,’ announces the Lord and King.‘ And that is just as sure as I am alive. He will die in the land of King Nebuchadnezzar, who put him on the throne. Zedekiah didn’t keep his promise to Nebuchadnezzar and broke his treaty.So Nebuchadnezzar will build ramps against the walls of Jerusalem. He will set up war machines to destroy many lives. Pharaoh will not be able to help Zedekiah during the war. The huge and mighty army of Egypt will not be of any help.Zedekiah didn’t keep his promise to Nebuchadnezzar and broke his treaty. Zedekiah had made a firm promise to keep it. But he broke it anyway. So he will not escape.“‘ The Lord and King says,“ Zedekiah didn’t keep the promise he made in my name. He broke the treaty. So I will pay him back. And that is just as sure as I am alive.

The seed on rocky ground stands for those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But they have no roots. They believe for a while. But when they are tested, they fall away from the faith.The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear the message. But as they go on their way, they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. So they do not reach full growth.But the seed on good soil stands for those with an honest and good heart. Those people hear the message. They keep it in their hearts. They remain faithful and produce a good crop.

“‘ “People of Israel, the Lord and King says,‘ Go, every one of you! Serve your gods. But later you will listen to me. You will no longer treat my name as if it were not holy. You will not offer sacrifices to other gods anymore.

“ But you treat my name as if it were not holy. You say the Lord’ s altar is‘ unclean.’ And you look down on its food.

“ Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them,‘ Suppose a godly person does not obey the Lord. Then the right things that person has done in the past count for nothing. Suppose a sinful person turns away from doing wrong things. Then the wrong things that person has done in the past won’t bring them judgment. A godly person who sins won’t be allowed to live. That’s true even though they used to do right things.’Suppose I tell a godly person that they will live. And they trust in the fact that they used to do what is right. But now they do what is evil. Then I will not remember any of the right things they have done. They will die because they have done so many evil things.

“ You sacrifice‘ unclean’ food on my altar.“ But you ask,‘ How have we made you“ unclean”?’“ You do it by looking down on my altar.

“‘ “I will make my holy name known among my people Israel. I will no longer let them treat my name as if it were not holy. Then the nations will know that I am the Holy One in Israel. I am the Lord.