“ You have said,‘ It is useless to serve God. What do we gain by obeying his laws? And what do we get by pretending to be sad in front of the Lord?

你们说：‘侍奉神是徒然的，遵守神所吩咐的，在万军之耶和华面前苦苦斋戒，有什么益处呢？

你们说：“事奉上帝是枉然，我们遵守上帝所吩咐的，在万军之耶和华面前哀痛而行，有什么益处呢？

你们说：“事奉神是枉然，我们遵守神所吩咐的，在万军之耶和华面前哀痛而行，有什么益处呢？

你们说，‘事奉上帝是虚空的。遵从上帝的吩咐，在万军之耶和华面前痛悔有什么益处？

你们说：‘事奉神是白费的；遵守他的吩咐，在万军之耶和华面前哀痛而行，有什么益处呢？

你们说：‘服事神是枉然的！遵守神所吩咐的，在万军之耶和华面前哀痛而行，有什么好处呢？

你們說：『事奉神是徒然的，遵守神所吩咐的，在萬軍之耶和華面前苦苦齋戒，有甚麼益處呢？

你們說：「事奉上帝是枉然，我們遵守上帝所吩咐的，在萬軍之耶和華面前哀痛而行，有甚麼益處呢？

你們說：「事奉神是枉然，我們遵守神所吩咐的，在萬軍之耶和華面前哀痛而行，有甚麼益處呢？

你們說，『事奉上帝是虛空的。遵從上帝的吩咐，在萬軍之耶和華面前痛悔有什麼益處？

你們說：‘事奉神是白費的；遵守他的吩咐，在萬軍之耶和華面前哀痛而行，有甚麼益處呢？

你們說：「事奉上帝是徒然的；遵守上帝所吩咐守的，在萬軍之永恆主面前愁眉苦眼而行、有甚麼益處？

你們說：『服事神是枉然的！遵守神所吩咐的，在萬軍之耶和華面前哀痛而行，有什麼好處呢？

爾曰、奉事上帝、乃徒然耳、我遵其命、於萬軍之耶和華前殷憂而行、何益之有、

爾常言曰、服事上帝、終屬徒勞、我心甚憂、順從萬有之主耶和華、守其法度、何益之有、

答曰、爾嘗言曰、服事天主、實屬徒勞、守其律法、守其律法或作守其所命守者何益之有、因萬有之主愀然度日、愀然度日或作常懷憂悶何益之有、

“ You have said,‘ It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?

You have said,‘ It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?

“ You have said,‘ What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?

You have said,“ It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping his requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Armies?

You have said,‘ It is pointless to serve God; and what benefit is it for us that we have done what He required, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of armies?

You have said,‘ It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the Lord of hosts?

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?

You have said:“ It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?

Ye have said, It[ is] vain to serve God: and what profit[ is it] that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

You have said,‘ It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD who rules over all?

You have said,‘ It is vain to serve God;’ and‘ What profit is it that we have followed his instructions, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of Armies?

‘ We have gone without food,’ they say.‘ Why haven’t you noticed it? We have made ourselves suffer. Why haven’t you paid any attention to us?’“ On the day when you fast, you do as you please. You take advantage of all your workers.

They laugh at others and speak words of hatred. They are proud. They warn others about the harm they can do to them.They brag as if they owned heaven itself. They talk as if they controlled the earth.So people listen to them. They lap up their words like water.They say,“ How would God know what we’re doing? Does the Most High God know anything?”Here is what sinful people are like. They don’t have a care in the world. They keep getting richer and richer.It seems as if I have kept my heart pure for no reason. It didn’t do me any good to wash my hands to show that I wasn’t guilty of doing anything wrong.

The Lord announces to his people,“ Return to me with all your heart. There is still time. Do not eat any food. Weep and mourn.”

Be full of sorrow. Cry and weep. Change your laughter to mourning. Change your joy to sadness.

They went to the prophets and priests at the Lord’ s temple. They asked them,“ Should we mourn and go without eating in the fifth month? That’s what we’ve done for many years.”Then the message came to me from the Lord who rules over all. He said,“ Ask the priests and all the people in the land a question for me. Say to them,‘ You mourned and fasted in the fifth and seventh months. You did it for the past 70 years. But did you really do it for me?And when you were eating and drinking, weren’t you just enjoying good food for yourselves?

You ask him,‘ What good is it for me not to sin? What do I get by not sinning?’

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps. I will punish those who are so contented. They are like wine that has not been shaken up. They think,‘ The Lord won’t do anything. He won’t do anything good or bad.’

They said to God,‘ Leave us alone! What can you do to us, you Mighty One?’

He asks,‘ What good is it to try to please God?’

But they say to God,‘ Leave us alone! We don’t want to know how you want us to live.Who is the Mighty One? Why should we serve him? What would we get if we prayed to him?’