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

⁷ For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, ^(A)rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.”

^3 (A)“From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, ^(B)but you have not listened. ⁴ And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, ^(C)rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. ⁵ They said, ^(D)‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. ⁶ Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ ⁷ Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord, “that you might ^(E)provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

Spiritual Immaturity

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the ^[a]oracles of God; and you have come to need ^(A)milk and not solid food.

All for Christ

3 Finally, my brethren, ^(A)rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

³⁴ Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. ^35 (A)And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. ³⁷ Then last of all he sent his ^(B)son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ^(C)‘This is the heir. ^(D)Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ^39 (E)So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

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

^41 (F)They said to Him, ^(G)“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, ^(H)and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will ^[a]render to him the fruits in their seasons.”