“‘ Sir,’ the man replied,‘ leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it.

管园的说：‘主啊，今年且留着，等我周围掘开土，加上粪；

园丁回答：‘主啊，今年且留着，等我在树周围掘开土，加上肥料，

园丁回答：‘主啊，今年且留着，等我在树周围掘开土，加上肥料，

“园丁请求说，‘主人，再留它一年吧！让我在它四周松土、施肥，

管园的说：‘主人，今年且留着它，等我把周围的泥土挖松，加上肥料；

“但是园丁回答，对他说：‘主人，今年再留着它吧。等我在它周围挖掘，施些粪肥，

管園的說：『主啊，今年且留着，等我周圍掘開土，加上糞；

園丁回答：『主啊，今年且留着，等我在樹周圍掘開土，加上肥料，

園丁回答：『主啊，今年且留着，等我在樹周圍掘開土，加上肥料，

「園丁請求說，『主人，再留它一年吧！讓我在它四周鬆土、施肥，

管園的說：‘主人，今年且留著它，等我把周圍的泥土挖鬆，加上肥料；

園工回答他說：「主人啊，這一年也容它吧；等我在它周圍挖掘，撒上糞。

「但是園丁回答，對他說：『主人，今年再留著它吧。等我在它周圍挖掘，施些糞肥，

對曰、主、今歲姑容之、待我周掘壅糞、

對曰、主、今歲且容之、待我周掘壅糞、

對曰、主、今歲姑容之、待我周掘壅糞、

園丁對曰：「主、今春姑留、待我疏其周圍之土、而糞之、

“‘ Sir,’ the man replied,‘ leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

And he answered him,‘ Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.

“ The gardener answered,‘ Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.

“ But he replied to him,‘ Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

But he answered and said to him,‘ Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer;

But he answered and said to him,‘ Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

“ But he replied to him,‘ Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung[ it]:

But the worker answered him,‘ Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it.

He answered,‘ Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

Let the priests who serve the Lord weep. Let them cry between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say,“ Lord, spare your people. Don’t let others make fun of them. Don’t let the nations laugh at them. Don’t let them tease your people and say,‘ Where is their God?’ ”

The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. Instead, he is patient with you. He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. Instead, he wants all people to turn away from their sins.

Brothers and sisters, with all my heart I long for the people of Israel to be saved. I pray to God for them.

I hope somehow to stir up my own people to want what you have. Perhaps I can save some of them.

Then the Lord said to me,“ Suppose Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me. Even then my heart would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me! Let them go!

So he said he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stood up for them. He kept God’s anger from destroying them.

The next day Moses said to the people,“ You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe if I pray to him, he will forgive your sin.”So Moses went back to the Lord. He said,“ These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold for themselves.Now please forgive their sin. But if you won’t, then erase my name out of the book you have written.”

“ Lord,” he said,“ if you are pleased with me, then go with us. Even though these people are stubborn, forgive the evil things we have done. Forgive our sin. And accept us as your people.”

But Moses asked the Lord his God to have mercy on the people.“ Lord,” he said,“ why should you destroy your people in anger? You used your great power and mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt.Why should the Egyptians say,‘ He brought them out to hurt them. He wanted to kill them in the mountains. He wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn away from your great anger. Please take pity on your people. Don’t destroy them!Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel. You made a promise to them in your own name. You said,‘ I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. I will give them all this land I promised them. It will belong to them forever.’ ”

Joshua said,“ Lord and King, why did you ever bring these people across the Jordan River? Did you want to hand us over to the Amorites? Did you want them to destroy us? I wish we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!Lord, our enemies have driven us away. What can I say?The Canaanites will hear about it. So will everyone else in the country. They will surround us. They’ll erase any mention of our name from the face of the earth. Then what will you do when people don’t honor your great name anymore?”

Lord, our sins are a witness against us. But do something for the honor of your name. We have often turned away from you. We’ve sinned against you.You are Israel’s only hope. You save us when we’re in trouble. Why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like a traveler who stays for only one night?Why are you like a man taken by surprise? Why are you like a soldier who can’t save anyone? Lord, you are among us. And we are your people. Please don’t desert us!

The Lord said to Moses,“ How long will these people not respect me? How long will they refuse to believe in me? They refuse even though I have done many signs among them.So I will strike them down with a plague. I will destroy them. But I will make you into a greater and stronger nation than they are.”Moses said to the Lord,“ Then the Egyptians will hear about it. You used your power to bring these people up from among them.And the Egyptians will tell the people who live in Canaan about it. Lord, they have already heard a lot about you. They’ve heard that you are with these people. They’ve heard that you have been seen face to face. They’ve been told that your cloud stays over them. They’ve heard that you go in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day. They’ve been told that you go in front of them in a pillar of fire at night.Suppose you put all these people to death and leave none alive. Then the nations who have heard these things about you will talk. They’ll say,‘ The Lord promised to give these people the land of Canaan. But he wasn’t able to bring them into it. So he killed them in the desert.’“ Now, Lord, show your strength. You have said,‘ I am the Lord. I am slow to get angry. I am full of love. I forgive those who sin. I forgive those who refuse to obey. But I do not let guilty people go without punishing them. I cause the sin of the parents to affect their children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren.’Lord, your love is great. So forgive the sin of these people. Forgive them just as you have done from the time they left Egypt until now.”The Lord replied,“ I have forgiven them, just as you asked.

But I said,“ Lord and King, the prophets keep telling them something else. They say,‘ You won’t have to suffer from war or hunger. Instead, the Lord will give you peace and rest in this place.’ ”Then the Lord said to me,“ The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas.So here is what I am saying about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. But they are saying,‘ No war or hunger will come to this land.’ Those same prophets will die because of war and hunger.And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die because of hunger and war. No one will bury them. No one will bury their wives and children. I will pour out trouble on them. That is exactly what they should get.“ Jeremiah, give them this message. Tell them,“‘ Let tears flow from my eyes. Let them pour out night and day. Never let them stop. The people of my own nation have suffered a terrible wound. They have been crushed.Suppose I go into the country. Then I see people who have been killed by swords. Or suppose I go into the city. Then I see people who have died of hunger. Prophet and priest alike have gone to a land they hadn’t known about before.’ ”

Should the good things I’ve done be paid back with evil? But my enemies have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood in front of you and spoke up for them. I tried to turn your anger away from them.