“‘ Sir,’ the man replied,‘ leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize 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. I’ll dig around it and feed 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 minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say,“ Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples,‘ Where is their God?’”

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.

Then the Lord said to me:“ Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!

So he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.

The next day Moses said to the people,“ You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”So Moses went back to the Lord and said,“ Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.But now, please forgive their sin— but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

“ Lord,” he said,“ if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff- necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”

But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God.“ Lord,” he said,“ why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?Why should the Egyptians say,‘ It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:‘ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’”

And Joshua said,“ Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

Although our sins testify against us, do something, Lord, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you.You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night?Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, Lord, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!

The Lord said to Moses,“ How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”Moses said to the Lord,“ Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say,‘ The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’“ Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared:‘ The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”The Lord replied,“ I have forgiven them, as you asked.

But I said,“ Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them,‘ You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace 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 or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying,‘ No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.“ Speak this word to them:“‘ Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for the Virgin Daughter, my people, has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow.If I go into the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I go into the city, I see the ravages of famine. Both prophet and priest have gone to a land they know not.’”

Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them.