I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath. I will command him to draw out the plunder, and to seize the spoils, and to trample them like the mud of the streets.

Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Jehovah and make mention of the God of Israel (but not in truth nor in righteousness;

for they name themselves as being of the holy city, and rest themselves on the God of Israel; Jehovah of Hosts is His name):

Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in drawing near to God.

They say, Why have we fasted, and You do not see? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice? Behold, in the day of your fast you devise pleasures, and oppress all your laborers.

i1 [A Prayer of David.] i0 par Hear a just cause, O Jehovah; give attention to my cry, listen to my prayer; for it is not from deceitful lips.

And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not returned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense, says Jehovah.

And though they say, As Jehovah lives; surely they swear falsely.

You have planted them; yea, they take root. They grow, yea, they bring forth fruit. You are near in their mouth, but far from their heart.

and they said to Jeremiah the prophet, Please let us prostrate our supplication to you, and intercede for us to Jehovah your God, even for all this remnant, (for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes behold us),

And Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard. Behold, I will pray to Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall be that all the word Jehovah shall answer, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.

So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they act out love, but their hearts go after their unjust gain.

So when this comes to pass (surely it will come); then they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

And in vain they revere Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty- nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of Jehovah and repaired them.

and said to them: Hear me, you Levites. Now consecrate yourselves, consecrate the house of Jehovah the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place.

They have also shut up the doors of the porch, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.

For behold, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

Now my sons, do not be negligent, for Jehovah has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should serve Him and burn incense.

of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

And they gathered their brethren, consecrated themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah.

And they began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of Jehovah. Then they consecrated the house of Jehovah in eight days, and by the sixteenth day of the first month they had finished.

Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his unfaithfulness we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah.

And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Jehovah.

Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.

And he stationed the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with lutes, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of Jehovah by the hand of his prophets.

And Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of Jehovah also began, with the trumpets and by the hand of the instruments of David, king of Israel.

And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and prostrated themselves.

Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now that you have confirmed your hands unto Jehovah, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Jehovah. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.

Do not add to His Words, that He not judge you and you be found a liar.

Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.

For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and your mother; and, He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.

and he does not honor his father or mother. Thus you have voided the commandment of God by your tradition.

And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the dipping of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men; the dipping of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.

For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother; and, He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.

then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother,

which all concern things which perish with the using; according to the commandments and doctrines of men?