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13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I commanded your ancestors and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”(A)

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15 I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, “Turn now every one of you from your evil way, and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall live in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors.” But you did not incline your ear or obey me.(A)

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(Formerly in Israel, anyone who went to inquire of God would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)(A)

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11 Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you, from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.(A)

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31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?(A)

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29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law, yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments but sinned against your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you were patient with them and warned them by your spirit through your prophets, yet they would not listen. Therefore you handed them over to the peoples of the lands.

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21 And when many terrible troubles come upon them, this song will confront them as a witness because it will not be lost from the mouths of their descendants. For I know what they are inclined to do even now, before I have brought them into the land that I promised them on oath.”(A)

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The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you,[a] not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.9 Other ancient authorities read on your account

21 as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 20.21 Other ancient authorities add Christ

Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.(A) Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or heed me, says the Lord.(B) Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your ancestors? So they repented and said, ‘The Lord of hosts has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he planned to do.’ ”(C)

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A Plea for Repentance

14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
    for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.(A)

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15 Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,
    do not let Judah become guilty.
Do not enter into Gilgal
    or go up to Beth-aven,
    and do not swear, “As the Lord lives.”(A)

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19 The Lord has said to you, ‘O remnant of Judah, Do not go to Egypt.’ Be well aware that I have warned you today(A)

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You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you(A) and to heed the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently—though you have not heeded(B) then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.(C)

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And though the Lord persistently sent you all his servants the prophets, you have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear(A) when they said, “Turn now, every one of you, from your evil way and wicked doings, and you will remain on the land that the Lord has given to you and your ancestors from of old and forever;(B)

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22 For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.(A) 23 But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.”(B)

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Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you[a] in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is[b] the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”

For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another,(A) if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt,(B) then I will dwell with you[c] in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors forever and ever.

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Footnotes

  1. 7.3 Or and I will let you dwell
  2. 7.4 Heb They are
  3. 7.7 Or and I will let you dwell

29 Shall I not punish them for these things?
            says the Lord,
    and shall I not bring retribution
    on a nation such as this?(A)

30 An appalling and horrible thing
    has happened in the land:(B)
31 the prophets prophesy falsely,
    and the priests rule as the prophets direct;[a]
my people love to have it so,
    but what will you do when the end comes?(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 5.31 Or rule by their own authority

She[a] saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce, yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she also went and prostituted herself.(A) Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.(B) 10 Yet for all this her false sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart but only in pretense, says the Lord.(C)

11 Then the Lord said to me: Faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false Judah.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.8 Gk mss Syr: Heb I

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;(A)
let the wicked forsake their way
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.(B)

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Why do you seek further beatings?
    Why do you continue to rebel?
The whole head is injured,
    and the whole heart faint.(A)
From the sole of the foot to the head,
    there is no soundness in it,
only bruises and sores
    and bleeding wounds;
they have not been drained or bound up
    or softened with oil.(B)

Your country lies desolate;
    your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
    aliens devour your land;
    it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.(C)
And daughter Zion is left
    like a booth in a vineyard,
like a shelter in a cucumber field,
    like a besieged city.
If the Lord of hosts
    had not left us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom
    and become like Gomorrah.(D)

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(E)
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
    says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
    and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls
    or of lambs or of goats.(F)

12 When you come to appear before me,[a]
    who asked this from your hand?
    Trample my courts no more!(G)
13 Bringing offerings is futile;
    incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation—
    I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.(H)
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals
    my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.(I)
15 When you stretch out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    your hands are full of blood.(J)
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove your evil deeds
    from before my eyes;
cease to do evil;(K)
17     learn to do good;
seek justice;
    rescue the oppressed;
defend the orphan;
    plead for the widow.(L)

18 Come now, let us argue it out,
    says the Lord:
If your sins are like scarlet,
    will they become like snow?
If they are red like crimson,
    will they become like wool?(M)
19 If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land,(N)
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be devoured by the sword,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(O)

The Degenerate City

21 How the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!
    She that was full of justice,
righteousness lodged in her—
    but now murderers!(P)
22 Your silver has become dross;
    your wine is mixed with water.(Q)
23 Your princes are rebels
    and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe
    and runs after gifts.
They do not defend the orphan,
    and the widow’s cause does not come before them.(R)

24 Therefore says the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
Surely I will pour out my wrath on my enemies
    and avenge myself on my foes!(S)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.12 Or see my face

Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!(A)
There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.(B)

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“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    I am God, your God.(A)

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The Fall of Jerusalem

15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place,(A) 16 but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord against his people became so great that there was no remedy.(B)

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29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the records of the seer Samuel, and in the records of the prophet Nathan, and in the records of the seer Gad,

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