Isn’t this the same message the Lord proclaimed through the prophets in years past when Jerusalem and the towns of Judah were bustling with people, and the Negev and the foothills of Judah were well populated?’”

当耶路撒冷和四围的城邑有居民，正兴盛，南地高原有人居住的时候，耶和华藉从前的先知所宣告的话，你们不当听吗？’”

当耶路撒冷和四围的城镇有人居住，享繁荣，尼革夫和谢非拉也有人居住的时候，耶和华藉从前的先知所宣告的，你们不当听吗？’”

当耶路撒冷和四围的城镇有人居住，享繁荣，尼革夫和谢非拉也有人居住的时候，耶和华藉从前的先知所宣告的，你们不当听吗？’”

这些不是耶和华借从前的先知所宣告的吗？当时耶路撒冷和周围的城邑人口兴盛、繁荣，南地和丘陵都有人居住。’”

这些话耶和华不是曾藉着从前的先知宣告了吗？那时，耶路撒冷和四围的城镇都有人居住，很是兴旺，南地和高地都有人居住。’”

當耶路撒冷和四圍的城邑有居民，正興盛，南地高原有人居住的時候，耶和華藉從前的先知所宣告的話，你們不當聽嗎？』」

當耶路撒冷和四圍的城鎮有人居住，享繁榮，尼革夫和謝非拉也有人居住的時候，耶和華藉從前的先知所宣告的，你們不當聽嗎？』」

當耶路撒冷和四圍的城鎮有人居住，享繁榮，尼革夫和謝非拉也有人居住的時候，耶和華藉從前的先知所宣告的，你們不當聽嗎？』」

這些不是耶和華藉從前的先知所宣告的嗎？當時耶路撒冷和周圍的城邑人口興盛、繁榮，南地和丘陵都有人居住。』」

這些話耶和華不是曾藉著從前的先知宣告了嗎？那時，耶路撒冷和四圍的城鎮都有人居住，很是興旺，南地和高地都有人居住。’”

當耶路撒冷和它四圍的城市都有人居住、而且優遊興盛，南地和低原也都有人居住時，永恆主的話、由從前的神言人經手宣告的、你們不應當聽麼？』

這些話語難道不是耶和華藉著先前的眾先知所宣告的嗎？那時，耶路撒冷和四圍的各城都有人居住，並且很安穩，南地和高地也有人居住。』」

耶和華藉古先知所宣之言、爾不宜聽之乎、其時耶路撒冷及四周之邑、有居民、且興盛、南土平原、亦有居民焉、○

昔耶路撒冷及四周之邑、南方平原、隨在有民居處、無不安綏、我耶和華使古先知、不既言之詳乎、

昔耶路撒冷及四圍之邑、尚有居民享平康、南方與平原平原或作窪地尚有人居、此言主豈未曾藉古先知宣告於眾乎、

Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”

Didn’t I tell you the same thing through the earlier prophets? That was when Jerusalem and the towns around it were at rest and enjoyed success. People lived in the Negev Desert and the western hills at that time.’ ”

Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

Aren’t these the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure, along with its surrounding cities, and when the southern region and the Judean foothills were inhabited?”

Are these not the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and carefree along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’ ”

Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’”

Should ye not hear the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?

Aren’t these the words that the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure, along with its surrounding cities, and when the southern region and the Judean foothills were inhabited?”

[ Should ye] not[ hear] the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when[ men] inhabited the south and the plain?

Should you not have obeyed the words that the LORD cried out through the former prophets when Jerusalem was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah were also populated?

Aren’t these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

And from all around Jerusalem, from the towns of Judah and Benjamin, from the western foothills and the hill country and the Negev, the people will come with their burnt offerings and sacrifices. They will bring their grain offerings, frankincense, and thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s Temple.

Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.“ Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.“ Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Yes, fields will once again be bought and sold— deeds signed and sealed and witnessed— in the land of Benjamin and here in Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the hill country, in the foothills of Judah and in the Negev, too. For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

This is what I told them:‘ Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’

But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;

the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho— the city of palms— as far as Zoar.

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Gather together— yes, gather together, you shameless nation.Gather before judgment begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff. Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.

We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.“ Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you.O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets.All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.“ So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin.You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem.Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth.Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.

“ Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down.Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him,“ Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made,‘ You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.”

“ Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves?Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Once again shepherds will count their flocks in the towns of the hill country, the foothills of Judah, the Negev, the land of Benjamin, the vicinity of Jerusalem, and all the towns of Judah. I, the Lord, have spoken!

“ Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message, right up to the present time.Perhaps the people of Judah will repent when they hear again all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings.”

I warned you when you were prosperous, but you replied,‘ Don’t bother me.’ You have been that way since childhood— you simply will not obey me!

Therefore, say to the people,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’“ Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead.But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said,‘ We have received what we deserved from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He has done what he said he would do.’”