“ I myself said,“‘ I would gladly treat you like my children. I would give you a pleasant land. It is the most beautiful land any nation could have.’ I thought you would call me‘ Father.’ I hoped you would always obey me.

“我说：‘我怎样将你安置在儿女之中，赐给你美地，就是万国中肥美的产业。我又说：你们必称我为父，也不再转去不跟从我。

“我说，我多么乐意把你列在儿女之中，赐给你美地，就是万国中最美的产业。我说，你会以‘我父啊’称呼我，不再转离而跟从我。

“我说，我多么乐意把你列在儿女之中，赐给你美地，就是万国中最美的产业。我说，你会以‘我父啊’称呼我，不再转离而跟从我。

“我曾想，我多么愿意把你们当成我的儿女，赐给你们万国中最肥美的土地。我原以为你们会叫我‘父亲’，再不离弃我。

“我说：‘我待你，像待儿女一样，赐给你佳美之地，就是列国中最美好的产业；我以为你会称我为父，不再离去不跟从我了。

我說：我怎樣將你安置在兒女之中，賜給你美地，就是萬國中肥美的產業。我又說：你們必稱我為父，也不再轉去不跟從我。

「我說，我多麼樂意把你列在兒女之中，賜給你美地，就是萬國中最美的產業。我說，你會以『我父啊』稱呼我，不再轉離而

「我說，我多麼樂意把你列在兒女之中，賜給你美地，就是萬國中最美的產業。我說，你會以『我父啊』稱呼我，不再轉離而跟從我。

我曾想，我多麼願意把你們當成我的兒女，賜給你們萬國中最肥美的土地。我原以為你們會叫我『父親』，再不離棄我。

“我說：‘我待你，像待兒女一樣，賜給你佳美之地，就是列國中最美好的產業；我以為你會稱我為父，不再離去不跟從我了。

『「我心裏說：我必怎樣將你安置在兒女之中，賜給你可喜愛之地、列國中美上美的產業。我心裏又說：你必會以「我父啊」稱呼我，你必不會再轉去而不隨從我了。

我曾曰、我置爾於諸子中、錫爾樂土、列國中極美之業、又曰、爾必稱我為父、不轉而不從我、

予竊自思、能安以為爾赤子、斯土膏腴、列國之民以為佳業、焉能予爾。轉念曰、爾稱予為父、無違逆予、則可。

我自問曰、我何以視爾為子、何以賜爾美地、列國之民所視為美業者、曰、爾惟稱我為父、勿離棄我、或作我曾應許曰我必使爾在諸子中極為昌大將萬國所珍愛之美地賜爾為業我曰但欲爾稱我為父勿離棄我

“ I myself said,“‘ How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me‘ Father’ and not turn away from following me.

“‘ I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

“ I thought to myself,‘ I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me‘ Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.

I thought,“ How I long to make you my sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.” I thought,“ You will call me‘ My Father’ and never turn away from me.”

“ Then I said,‘ How I would set you among My sons And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said,‘ You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.’

“ But I said:‘ How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’“ And I said:‘ You shall call Me,“ My Father,” And not turn away from Me.’

But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me.

I thought: How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations. I thought: You will call Me, my Father, and never turn away from Me.

But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

“ I thought to myself,‘ Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ I thought you would call me,‘ Father’ and would never cease being loyal to me.

“ But I said,‘ How I desire to put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!’ and I said,‘ You shall call me“ My Father”, and shall not turn away from following me.’

You have just now called out to me. You said,‘ My Father, you have been my friend ever since I was young.

You are our Father. Abraham might not accept us as his children. Jacob might not recognize us as his family. But you are our Father, Lord. Your name is One Who Always Sets Us Free.

He came to set free those who were under the authority of the law. He wanted us to be adopted as children with all the rights children have.Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By his power we call God Abba. Abba means Father.So you aren’t a slave any longer. You are God’s child. Because you are his child, God gives you the rights of those who are his children.

So he decided long ago to adopt us. He adopted us as his children with all the rights children have. He did it because of what Jesus Christ has done. It pleased God to do it.

I will give them a single purpose in life. Then, they will always have respect for me. Then all will go well for them. And it will also go well for their children after them.I will make a covenant with them that will last forever. I promise that I will never stop doing good to them. I will cause them to respect me. Then they will never turn away from me again.

So,“ Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch anything that is not pure and‘ clean.’ Then I will receive you.”( Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41)And,“ I will be your Father. You will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord who rules over all.”( 2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8)

Their eyes will be filled with tears as they come. They will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water. I will lead them on a level path where they will not trip or fall. I am Israel’s father. And Ephraim is my oldest son.

He will also march into the beautiful land of Israel. Many countries will fall. But Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be saved from his mighty hand.

See what amazing love the Father has given us! Because of it, we are called children of God. And that’s what we really are! The world doesn’t know us because it didn’t know him.Dear friends, now we are children of God. He still hasn’t let us know what we will be. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him. That’s because we will see him as he really is.Christ is pure. All who hope to be like him make themselves pure.

He will do anything he wants to. No one will be able to stand up against him. He will take over the beautiful land of Israel. And he will have the power to destroy it.

He will set up his royal tents. He will put them between the Mediterranean Sea and the beautiful holy mountain of Zion. But his end will come. And no one will help him.

Aren’t the people of Ephraim my dear children? Aren’t they the children I take delight in? I often speak against them. But I still remember them. So my heart longs for them. I love them with a tender love,” announces the Lord.

Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay. You are the potter. Your hands made all of us.

Wise people receive honor. But foolish people get only shame.

Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a living hope. This hope is living because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. This is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you.

Out of one of the four horns came another horn. It was small at first but became more and more powerful. It grew to the south and to the east and toward the beautiful land of Israel.

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God by believing in Christ.

Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.“ This is how you should pray.“‘ Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.

Many shepherds will destroy my vineyard. They will walk all over it. They will turn my pleasant vineyard into a dry and empty land.

The Spirit you received doesn’t make you slaves. Otherwise you would live in fear again. Instead, the Holy Spirit you received made you God’s adopted child. By the Spirit’s power we call God Abba. Abba means Father.The Spirit himself joins with our spirits. Together they tell us that we are God’s children.As his children, we will receive all that he has for us. We will share what Christ receives. But we must share in his sufferings if we want to share in his glory.

Later on, they refused to enter the pleasant land of Canaan. They didn’t believe God’s promise.

On that day I promised I would bring them out of Egypt. I told them I would take them to a land I had found for them. It had plenty of milk and honey. It was the most beautiful land of all.

The Lord continues,“ People of Ephraim, how can I give you up? Israel, how can I hand you over to your enemies? Can I destroy you as I did the town of Admah? Can I treat you like Zeboyim? My heart is stirred inside me. It is filled with pity for you.

He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him.Some people did accept him and did believe in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God.To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.

But we don’t belong to the people who pull back and are destroyed. We belong to the people who believe and are saved.

The Lord says,“ Jerusalem, why should I forgive you? Your people have deserted me. They have made their promises in the names of gods that are not really gods at all. I supplied everything they needed. But they committed adultery. Large crowds went to the houses of prostitutes.