“ Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. And you would not let me!

“耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊，你常杀害先知，又用石头打死那奉差遣到你这里来的人。我多次愿意聚集你的儿女，好像母鸡把小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，只是你们不愿意。

“耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊，你常杀害先知，又用石头打死那奉差遣到你这里来的人。我多少次想聚集你的儿女，好像母鸡把小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，但是你们不愿意。

“耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊，你常杀害先知，又用石头打死那奉差遣到你这里来的人。我多少次想聚集你的儿女，好像母鸡把小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，但是你们不愿意。

“耶路撒冷啊！耶路撒冷啊！你常杀害先知，又用石头打死派到你那里的使者。我多次想要招聚你的儿女，像母鸡将小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，可是你们却不肯。

“耶路撒冷，耶路撒冷啊，你杀害先知，又用石头把奉派到你们那里的人打死。我多次想招聚你的儿女，好像母鸡招聚小鸡到翅膀底下，只是你们不愿意。

“耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷！这城杀害先知们，又用石头砸死被差到她这里的人！我多次想聚集你的儿女，像母鸡把自己的小鸡聚集在翅膀下，可是你们不愿意！

「耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊，你常殺害先知，又用石頭打死那奉差遣到你這裏來的人。我多次願意聚集你的兒女，好像母雞把小雞聚集在翅膀底下，只是你們不願意。

「耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊，你常殺害先知，又用石頭打死那奉差遣到你這裏來的人。我多少次想聚集你的兒女，好像母雞把小雞聚集在翅膀底下，但是你們不願意。

「耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊，你常殺害先知，又用石頭打死那奉差遣到你這裏來的人。我多少次想聚集你的兒女，好像母雞把小雞聚集在翅膀底下，但是你們不願意。

「耶路撒冷啊！耶路撒冷啊！你常殺害先知，又用石頭打死派到你那裡的使者。我多次想要招聚你的兒女，像母雞將小雞聚集在翅膀底下，可是你們卻不肯。

“耶路撒冷，耶路撒冷啊，你殺害先知，又用石頭把奉派到你們那裡的人打死。我多次想招聚你的兒女，好像母雞招聚小雞到翅膀底下，只是你們不願意。

『耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷，你常殺害神言人，扔石頭打死奉差遣到你裏面去的人。我多少次願意聚集你的兒女，彷彿母雞把自己的小雞聚集在翅膀底下，你們卻不願意！

「耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷！這城殺害先知們，又用石頭砸死被差到她這裡的人！我多次想聚集你的兒女，像母雞把自己的小雞聚集在翅膀下，可是你們不願意！

耶路撒冷歟、耶路撒冷歟、殺先知石擊使於爾者乎、我欲集爾赤子、似牝鷄集雛翼下者屢矣、而爾不欲也、

耶路撒冷乎、耶路撒冷乎、爾殺先知、石擊奉使者、我欲集爾赤子、似母鷄集雛翼下、已幾何時、惟爾不欲、

耶路撒冷乎、耶路撒冷乎、爾殺先知、石擊奉遣就爾者、我屢欲集爾赤子、似母鷄集雛於翼下、惟爾不欲、

耶路撒冷乎、嗟爾殘殺先知、石擊天主星使之耶路撒冷乎！吾之欲集爾子女、如牝雞之覆翼其雛者、不已頻乎？而爾終莫之許也。

“ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

“ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

“ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.

“ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

“ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

“ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

“ Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,[ thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under[ her] wings, and ye would not!

“ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

“ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!

May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May the Lord, the God of Israel, bless you richly. You have come to him to find safety under his care.”

He was like an eagle that stirs up its nest. It hovers over its little ones. It spreads out its wings to catch them. It carries them up in the air on its feathers.The Lord was the only one who led Israel. No other god was with them.

He will cover you with his wings. Under the feathers of his wings you will find safety. He is faithful. He will keep you safe like a shield or a tower.

Be joyful and glad. Your reward in heaven is great. In the same way, people hurt the prophets who lived long ago.

“ Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. And you would not let me.Look, your house is left empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say,‘ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”( Psalm 118:26)

But you refuse to listen when I call out to you. No one pays attention when I reach out my hand.You turn away from all my advice. And you do not accept my warning.So I will laugh at you when you are in danger. I will make fun of you when hard times come.I will laugh when hard times hit you like a storm. I will laugh when danger comes your way like a windstorm. I will make fun of you when suffering and trouble come.“ Then you will call to me. But I won’t answer. You will look for me. But you won’t find me.You hated knowledge. You didn’t choose to have respect for the Lord.You wouldn’t accept my advice. You turned your backs on my warnings.So you will eat the fruit of the way you have lived. You will choke on the fruit of what you have planned.

Because you have helped me, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

The Lord tells the people of Judah,“ Stand where the roads cross, and look around. Ask where the old paths are. Ask for the good path, and walk on it. Then your hearts will find rest in me. But you said,‘ We won’t walk on it.’I appointed prophets to warn you. I said,‘ Listen to the sound of the trumpets!’ But you said,‘ We won’t listen.’

How priceless your faithful love is! People find safety in the shadow of your wings.

Take good care of me, just as you would take care of your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

“ But they didn’t obey you. Instead, they turned against you. They turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets. The prophets had warned them to return to you. But they did very evil things that dishonored you.

When they have finished speaking, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them. He will overpower them and kill them.Their bodies will lie in the main street of the great city. It is also the city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. The city is sometimes compared to Sodom or Egypt.

The Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets also forced us to leave. They do not please God. They are enemies of everyone.

Again and again I sent my servants the prophets. They said,‘ Don’t worship other gods! The Lord hates it!’

Then the day of the banquet arrived. He sent his servant to those who had been invited. The servant told them,‘ Come. Everything is ready now.’“ But they all had the same idea. They began to make excuses. The first one said,‘ I have just bought a field. I have to go and see it. Please excuse me.’“ Another said,‘ I have just bought five pairs of oxen. I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’“ Still another said,‘ I just got married, so I can’t come.’

He sent his slaves to those who had been invited to the dinner. The slaves told them to come. But they refused.

Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said,‘ Each of you must turn from your evil ways. You must change the way you act. Do not worship other gods. Do not serve them. Then you will live in the land. I gave it to you and your people of long ago.’ But you have not paid any attention. You have not listened to me.

And you say,‘ If we had lived in the days of those who lived before us, we wouldn’t have done what they did. We wouldn’t have helped to kill the prophets.’

He said to all of them,“ The Lord is the God of Israel. You asked me to present your appeal to him. He told me,‘ Stay in this land. Then I will build you up. I will not tear you down. I will plant you. I will not pull you up by the roots. I have decided to stop bringing trouble on you.Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon. You are afraid of him now. Do not be,’ announces the Lord.‘ I am with you. I will keep you safe. I will save you from his power.I will show you my loving concern. Then he will have concern for you. And he will let you return to your land.’“ But suppose you say,‘ We won’t stay in this land.’ If you do, you will be disobeying the Lord your God.

“ But those he ruled over hated him. They sent some messengers after him. They were sent to say,‘ We don’t want this man to be our king.’“ But he was made king and returned home. Then he sent for the slaves he had given the money to. He wanted to find out what they had earned with it.“ The first one came to him. He said,‘ Sir, your money has earned ten times as much.’“‘ You have done well, my good slave!’ his master replied.‘ You have been faithful in a very small matter. So I will put you in charge of ten towns.’“ The second slave came to his master. He said,‘ Sir, your money has earned five times as much.’“ His master answered,‘ I will put you in charge of five towns.’“ Then another slave came. He said,‘ Sir, here is your money. I have kept it hidden in a piece of cloth.I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in. You harvest what you did not plant.’“ His master replied,‘ I will judge you by your own words, you evil slave! So you knew that I am a hard man? You knew that I take out what I did not put in? You knew that I harvest what I did not plant?Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’“ Then he said to those standing by,‘ Take his money away from him. Give it to the one who has ten times as much.’“‘ Sir,’ they said,‘ he already has ten times as much!’“ He replied,‘ I tell you that everyone who has will be given more. But here is what will happen to anyone who has nothing. Even what they have will be taken away from them.And what about my enemies who did not want me to be king over them? Bring them here! Kill them in front of me!’ ”After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead. He was going up to Jerusalem.He approached Bethphage and Bethany. The hill there was called the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. He said to them,“ Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a donkey’s colt tied up. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here.Someone may ask you,‘ Why are you untying it?’ If so, say,‘ The Lord needs it.’ ”Those who were sent ahead went and found the young donkey. It was there just as Jesus had told them.They were untying the colt when its owners came. The owners asked them,“ Why are you untying the colt?”They replied,“ The Lord needs it.”Then the disciples brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats on the young donkey and put Jesus on it.As he went along, people spread their coats on the road.Jesus came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives. There the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God with joy. In loud voices they praised him for all the miracles they had seen. They shouted,“ Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”( Psalm 118:26)“ May there be peace and glory in the highest heaven!”Some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus.“ Teacher,” they said,“ tell your disciples to stop!”“ I tell you,” he replied,“ if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”He approached Jerusalem. When he saw the city, he began to weep.He said,“ I wish you had known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.The days will come when your enemies will arrive. They will build a wall of dirt up against your city. They will surround you and close you in on every side.You didn’t recognize the time when God came to you. So your enemies will smash you to the ground. They will destroy you and all the people inside your walls. They will not leave one stone on top of another.”

But the people made evil plans against Zechariah. The king ordered them to kill Zechariah by throwing stones at him. They did it in the courtyard of the Lord’ s temple.King Joash didn’t remember how kind Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had been to him. So he killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah was dying he said,“ May the Lord see this. May he hold you responsible.”

“ But the renters grabbed his slaves. They beat one of them. They killed another. They threw stones at the third to kill him.Then the man sent other slaves to the renters. He sent more than he did the first time. The renters treated them the same way.

The rest grabbed his slaves. They treated them badly and then killed them.

Long ago I brought your people up from Egypt. From that time until today, I warned them again and again. I said,“ Obey me.”But they did not listen. They did not pay any attention to me. Instead, they did what their stubborn and evil hearts wanted them to do. So I brought down on them all the curses of the covenant. I commanded them to obey it. But they refused.’ ”

“ My people, listen and I will warn you. Israel, I wish you would listen to me!Don’t have anything to do with the gods of other nations. Don’t bow down and worship any god other than me.I am the Lord your God. I brought you up out of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.“ But my people wouldn’t listen to me. Israel wouldn’t obey me.

People of Jerusalem, wash your sins from your hearts and be saved. How long will you hold on to your evil thoughts?

Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me. I go to you for safety. I will find safety in the shadow of your wings. There I will stay until the danger is gone.

“ You stubborn people! You won’t obey! You won’t listen! You are just like your people of long ago! You always oppose the Holy Spirit!Was there ever a prophet your people didn’t try to hurt? They even killed those who told about the coming of the Blameless One. And now you have handed him over to his enemies. You have murdered him.

My people have made up their minds to turn away from me. Even if they call me the Most High God, I will certainly not honor them.”

“ I punished your people. But it did not do them any good. They did not pay attention when they were corrected. You have killed your prophets by swords. You have swallowed them up like a hungry lion.

Those men brought Uriah out of Egypt. They took him to King Jehoiakim. Then the king had Uriah struck down with a sword. He had Uriah’s body thrown into one of the graves of the ordinary people.

The Lord, the God of Israel, sent word to his people through his messengers. He sent it to them again and again. He took pity on his people. He also took pity on the temple where he lived.But God’s people made fun of his messengers. They hated his words. They laughed at his prophets. Finally the Lord’ s great anger was stirred up against his people. Nothing could save them.

Jerusalem, listen to my warning. If you do not, I will turn away from you. Your land will become a desert. No one will be able to live there.”

“ The older brother became angry. He refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him.

“ Do not be like your people of long ago. The earlier prophets gave them my message. I said,‘ Stop doing what is evil. Turn away from your sinful practices.’ But they would not listen to me. They would not pay any attention,” announces the Lord.

So the man sent another slave. They beat that one and treated him badly. They also sent him away with nothing.The man sent a third slave. The renters wounded him and threw him out.“ Then the owner of the vineyard said,‘ What should I do? I have a son, and I love him. I will send him. Maybe they will respect him.’“ But when the renters saw the son, they talked the matter over.‘ This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday,’ they said.‘ Let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’

But they grabbed the servant and beat him up. Then they sent him away with nothing.So the man sent another servant to the renters. They hit this one on the head and treated him badly.The man sent still another servant. The renters killed him. The man sent many others. The renters beat up some of them. They killed the others.“ The man had one person left to send. It was his son, and he loved him. He sent him last of all. He said,‘ They will respect my son.’

When I came to save you, why didn’t anyone welcome me? When I called out to you, why didn’t anyone answer me? Wasn’t I powerful enough to set you free? Wasn’t I strong enough to save you? I dry up the sea with a single command. I turn rivers into a desert. Then fish rot because they do not have any water. They die because they are thirsty.

But the more I called out to Israel, the more they went away from me. They brought sacrifices to the statues of the gods that were named Baal. And they burned incense to them.

“ For 23 years the Lord’ s messages have been coming to me. They began to come in the 13th year that Josiah was king of Judah. He was the son of Amon. The Lord’ s messages still come to me today. I’ve spoken to you people again and again. But you haven’t listened to me.“ The Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you. They’ve come to you again and again. But you haven’t listened. You haven’t paid any attention to them.They said,‘ Each of you must turn from your evil ways and practices. Then you can stay in the land forever. It’s the land the Lord gave you and your people of long ago.Don’t follow other gods. Don’t serve them or worship them. Don’t make the Lord angry with the gods your own hands have made. Then he won’t harm you.’“‘ But you did not listen to me,’ announces the Lord.‘ You have made me very angry with the gods your hands have made. And you have brought harm on yourselves.’

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people. They are the ones who are witnesses about Jesus. When I saw her, I was very amazed.