en_tn_lite_do_not_use/mal/03/06.md

# General Information:

Yahweh continues to speak to the people of Israel.

# have not come to an end

"have not perished"

# From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ordinances and have not kept them

Disobeying God's ordinances is spoken of as if it were turning away from them. AT: "You have disobeyed my ordinances ever since the days of your ancestors" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# Return to me, and I will return to you

Here loving each other and being faithful to each other is spoken of as if it were returning to each other. AT: "Love me and honor me, and I will always help you" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# How will we return?

The people ask this question in order to claim that they have never stopped obeying God. This can be expressed as a statement. AT: "We have never gone away from you, so we cannot return to you." or "We have never gone away from you, so it makes no sense to speak of us as returning to you." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/jacob]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/father]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/ordinance]]