¹² And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

¹ Whoso loveth correction loveth knowledge; But he that hateth reproof is brutish.

⁵ A fool despiseth his father's correction; But he that regardeth reproof getteth prudence.

²⁵ But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof:

²² How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And scoffers delight them in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge?

⁷ The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; `But' the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

⁴ Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

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.

⁵ Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

⁶ But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and they turned and said, Like as Jehovah of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

¹¹ But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.

¹² Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.

¹³ And it is come to pass that, as he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, said Jehovah of hosts;

¹⁴ but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

¹⁹ And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.

¹⁸ Poverty and shame `shall be to' him that refuseth correction; But he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.

²³ For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

¹³ And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

¹⁴ And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the thing is known.

²⁰ And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you.

²¹ And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah.

²² Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that `the king' said unto him, Have we made thee of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

¹⁰ And Jehovah spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed.

¹¹ Wherefore Jehovah brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

¹⁶ but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

¹⁷ Seeing thou hatest instruction, And castest my words behind thee?

²² So brutish was I, and ignorant; I was `as' a beast before thee.

²⁹ For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of Jehovah:

³⁰ They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof.

⁹ And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.