For thoughby thistimeyou oughtto be teachers,you haveneedagainfor someoneto teachyou the elementaryprinciplesof the oraclesof God,and you have cometo needmilkand not solidfood.
The adviceof Ahithophel,whichhe gavein thosedays,[was] as ifone inquiredof the wordof God;sowas allthe adviceof Ahithophel[regarded] by bothDavidand Absalom.
For Ezrahad sethis heartto studythe lawof the LORDand to practice[it], and to teach[His] statutesand ordinancesin Israel.
Come,you children,listento me; I will teachyou the fearof the LORD.
So the wordof the LORDto them will be, "Orderon order,orderon order,Lineon line,lineon line,A littlehere,a littlethere,"That they may goand stumblebackward,be broken,snaredand takencaptive.
"Ho!Everyonewho thirsts,cometo the waters;And you whohavenomoneycome,buyand eat.Come,buywineand milkWithoutmoneyand withoutcost.
And Jesusansweredand said,"You unbelievingand pervertedgeneration,howlongshall I be with you? How longshall I putup with you? Bringhim hereto Me."
And He answeredthem and said,"Ounbelievinggeneration,howlongshall I be with you? How longshall I putup with you? Bringhim to Me!"
"Thisis the one who was in the congregationin the wildernesstogetherwith the angelwho was speakingto him on MountSinai,and [who was] with our fathers;and he receivedlivingoraclesto passon to you.
Greatin everyrespect.First of all,that they were entrustedwith the oraclesof God.
however,in the churchI desireto speakfivewordswith my mindsothat I may instructothersalso,rather thanten thousandwordsin a tongue.
Brethren,do not be childrenin your thinking;yetin evilbe infants,but in your thinkingbe mature.
Soalsowe, whilewe were children,were held in bondageunderthe elemental thingsof the world.
Finally,my brethren,rejoicein the Lord.To writethe same things[again] is notroubleto me, and it is a safeguardfor you.
Let the wordof Christrichlydwellwithinyou, with allwisdomteachingand admonishingone anotherwith psalms[and] hymns[and] spiritualsongs,singingwith thankfulnessin your heartsto God.
But rememberthe formerdays,when,after being enlightened,you endureda greatconflictof sufferings,
Concerninghim we have muchto say,and [it is] hard to explain,sinceyou have becomedullof hearing.
For everyonewho partakes[only] of milkis not accustomedto the wordof righteousness,for he is an infant.
Thereforeleavingthe elementaryteachingabout the Christ,let us presson to maturity,not layingagaina foundationof repentancefrom deadworksand of faithtowardGod,
likenewbornbabies,longfor the puremilkof the word,sothat by it you may growin respectto salvation,
Whoeverspeaks,[is to do so] as onewho is speakingthe utterancesof God;whoeverserves[is to do] [so] as onewho is servingby the strengthwhichGodsupplies;sothat in all thingsGodmay be glorifiedthroughJesusChrist,to whombelongsthe gloryand dominionforeverand ever.Amen.
