I thought,‘ Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won’t need to strike again, destroying their homes.’ But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds.

我说：你只要敬畏我，领受训诲；如此，你的住处不致照我所拟定的除灭。只是你们从早起来，就在一切事上败坏自己。”

我说：‘只要你敬畏我，领受训诲；其住处就不会照我原先所定的被剪除。’然而，他们从早起来就在各样事上败坏自己。

我说：‘只要你敬畏我，领受训诲；其住处就不会照我原先所定的被剪除。’然而，他们从早起来就在各样事上败坏自己。

我以为这城一定会敬畏我，接受管教，这样我就不必照所定的毁灭她。然而，他们却更加热衷于犯罪作恶。

我说：“她定要敬畏我，接受管教。”这样，她的住所必不会照着我原定对她的惩罚被剪除。可是他们殷勤行恶，败坏了自己一切所作的。

我說：你只要敬畏我，領受訓誨；如此，你的住處不致照我所擬定的除滅。只是你們從早起來就在一切事上敗壞自己。

我說：『只要你敬畏我，領受訓誨；其住處就不會照我原先所定的被剪除。』然而，他們從早起來就在各樣事上敗壞自己。

我說：『只要你敬畏我，領受訓誨；其住處就不會照我原先所定的被剪除。』然而，他們從早起來就在各樣事上敗壞自己。

我以為這城一定會敬畏我，接受管教，這樣我就不必照所定的毀滅她。然而，他們卻更加熱衷於犯罪作惡。

我說：“她定要敬畏我，接受管教。”這樣，她的住所必不會照著我原定對她的懲罰被剪除。可是他們殷勤行惡，敗壞了自己一切所作的。

我心裏想着說：她一定會敬畏我，會接受管教；對我所發給她的一切命令一定會目不轉睛而注視的，哪知他們卻變本加厲使他們一切行為都腐化呢！』

我曾曰、爾惟寅畏我、受我訓誨、爾之第宅、則不依我所定被毀、但爾黎明而起、自敗厥行、

我告斯民曰、爾當寅畏我躬、承我教誨、則不降罰、絶爾居所、然爾惟惡是作、靡有已時、

我諭斯民曰、爾當敬畏我、承受教誨、則在我降諸罰之際、爾之居所尚不致絕、則在我降諸罰之際爾之居所尚不致絕或作如此爾之居宅不致於循我所欲降之罰而毀滅然於凡所為、惟惡是務、惟惡是務或作仍殷勤自敗自壞

Of Jerusalem I thought,‘ Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.

Here is what I thought about Jerusalem.‘ Surely you will have respect for me. Surely you will accept my warning.’ Then the city you think is safe would not be destroyed. And I would not have to punish you so much. But they still wanted to go on sinning in every way they could.

I said,‘ Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.

I said: You will certainly fear me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions.

I said,‘ You will certainly revere Me, You will accept discipline.’ So her dwelling will not be eliminated In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her. Instead, they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

I said,‘ Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction’— So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.

I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.

I thought: You will certainly fear Me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions.

I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early,[ and] corrupted all their doings.

I thought,‘ Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!’ If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did.

I said,“ Just fear me. Receive correction, so that her dwelling won’t be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her.” But they rose early and corrupted all their doings.

The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in Gibeah long ago. God will not forget. He will surely punish them for their sins.

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.”

Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.

Each time the message was this:‘ Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever.

No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,“ This is what the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:‘ If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live, and the city will not be burned down.

What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

“ How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side.They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

then kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates forever. There will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will always ride in and out among the people of Judah in chariots and on horses, and this city will remain forever.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.“‘ But if you do not listen to me and refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath day you bring loads of merchandise through the gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out the roaring flames.’”

Then he was deposed by the king of Egypt, who demanded that Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.The king of Egypt then installed Eliakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, as the next king of Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt as a prisoner.Jehoiakim was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured it, and he bound Jehoiakim in bronze chains and led him away to Babylon.Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the treasures from the Temple of the Lord, and he placed them in his palace in Babylon.The rest of the events in Jehoiakim’s reign, including all the evil things he did and everything found against him, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. Then his son Jehoiachin became the next king.Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. Jehoiachin did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon. Many treasures from the Temple of the Lord were also taken to Babylon at that time. And Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, as the next king in Judah and Jerusalem.

So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form— whether of a man or a woman,

In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah, Israel’s king, killed 120,000 of Judah’s troops, all of them experienced warriors, because they had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors.Then Zicri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the king’s son; Azrikam, the king’s palace commander; and Elkanah, the king’s second in command.The armies of Israel captured 200,000 women and children from Judah and seized tremendous amounts of plunder, which they took back to Samaria.

What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance.

I listen to their conversations and don’t hear a word of truth. Is anyone sorry for doing wrong? Does anyone say,“ What a terrible thing I have done”? No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.

He said,“ They are my very own people. Surely they will not betray me again.” And he became their Savior.

So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

After Hezekiah had faithfully carried out this work, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified towns, giving orders for his army to break through their walls.When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib also intended to attack Jerusalem,