⁷ always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.^(A)

⁷ From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,^(A) saying, “Obey me.”

³ For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah^(A) son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,^(B) but you have not listened.^(C)

⁴ And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets^(D) to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.^{(E) 5} They said, “Turn^(F) now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land^(G) the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. ⁶ Do not follow other gods^(H) to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”

⁷ “But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused^(I) my anger with what your hands have made,^(J) and you have brought harm^(K) to yourselves.”

¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths^(A) of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!^(B)

No Confidence in the Flesh

3 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,^(A) and it is a safeguard for you.

³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants^(A) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.^{(B) 36} Then he sent other servants^(C) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.^(D) Come, let’s kill him^(E) and take his inheritance.’^{(F) 39} So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”^(G) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,^(H) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”