4 Y’all must not be like your* ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: YHWH Almighty says, ‘Y’all must return now from your* evil ways evil deeds.’ But they didn’t hear or listen to me, declares YHWH.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.
4 Be not as your fathers to whom the former prophets cried, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return now from your evil ways and your evil doings; but they would not hear or listen to Me, says the Lord. [II Kings 17:13; Isa. 45:22; Jer. 18:11; Ezek. 33:11.]
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith Jehovah.
4 Don’t be like your ancestors to whom the former prophets preached: The LORD of heavenly forces proclaims: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they didn’t listen; they didn’t draw near to me.
4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn from your evil ways and from your wicked thoughts. But they did not heed, and neither did they pay attention to me, says the Lord.
4 Be not as your fathers, to whom the former prophets have cried, saying: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Turn ye from your evil ways, and from your wicked thoughts: but they did not give ear, neither did they hearken to me, saith the Lord.
So the couriers went with the letters from the king and his officials throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the commandment of the king, saying, “Children of Israel, y’all must turn again to YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that ʜᴇ may return to y’all who are left, who escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
Don’t be like y’all’s ancestors and siblings, who trespassed against YHWH, the God of their ancestors, so that ʜᴇ gave them up as an object of horror, as y’all see.
“Y’all go and inquire of YHWH for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found. For great is YHWH’s fury that is poured out on us, because our ancestors have not kept word of YHWH, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty to this day; and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
“Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their back, killed your prophets that testified against them to turn them again to you, and they committed awful blasphemies.
Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
and might not be as their fathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
“Now therefore, you are to speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘YHWH says: “Look! I will form a disaster for y’all, and devise a plan against y’all. Every one of y’all should return from your evil way now, and reform your* ways and actions.”’
But if they had stood in my council, then they would have caused my people to hear my words, and would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says YHWH, ‘I will not look in anger on y’all, for I am merciful,’ says YHWH. ‘I will not stay angry forever.
“Return, y’all backsliding children,” says YHWH, “for I am a husband to y’all. I will take one of y’all from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring y’all to Zion.
Again and again, I have sent all my servants the prophets to y’all, saying, ‘Every one of y’all must turn away your* evil way, amend your* deeds, and stop following after other gods to serve them. Then y’all will dwell in the land which I have given to y’all and to y’all’s ancestors.’ But y’all have not turned your* ear and obeyed me.
“If you will return, Israel,” says YHWH, “if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you will not be removed;
“Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘Lord YHWH says: “Y’all must repent! Y’all must repent from your* idols! Y’all must turn your* faces from all your* abominations.
I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Y’all must not walk in the statutes of your* parents. Y’all must not keep their ordinances or defile yourselves* with their idols.
Tell them, ‘“As surely as I live,” says Lord YHWH, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Y’all must turn, turn from your* evil ways! Why will y’all die, house of Israel?”’
We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Are these not the words which YHWH proclaimed by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”
but first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and all throughout Judea, then also to the ethnic groups, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of repentance.
knowing that it was not with corruptible things like silver or gold that y’all were redeemed from the useless way of life handed down from y’all’s ancestors,