Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: {by: Heb. by the hand of} {betimes: that is, continually and carefully}

And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: {Execute...: Heb. Judge judgment of truth}

Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. {forbear...: Heb. protract over them} {in thy...: Heb. in the hand of thy prophets}

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that {is} the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending {them}, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, {even} to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that {were} in the high gate of Benjamin, which {was} by the house of the LORD.

And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:

That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; {a prophet: Heb. a man a prophet}

Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man {that is} mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen {doth gather} her brood under {her} wings, and ye would not!

Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending {them}, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, {and by} all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments {and} my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. {by: Heb. by the hand of}

Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and {that} your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. {welfare: Heb. peace}

Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. {wither: Heb. fade}

Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for {he was} in a rage with him because of this {thing}. And Asa oppressed {some} of the people the same time. {oppressed: Heb. crushed}

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness {is} as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. {goodness: or, mercy, or, kindness}

And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

But I {was} like a lamb {or} an ox {that} is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, {saying}, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered. {the tree...: Heb. the stalk with his bread}

He spake also this parable; A certain {man} had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending {them}:

And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. {fenced: or, made a wall about} {made: Heb. hewed}

Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten {them}, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

And they caught {him}, and beat him, and sent {him} away empty.

Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.