# Turn from your evil ways and wicked practices

No longer doing certain actions is spoken of as if it were turning away from those actions. The phrases "evil ways" and "wicked practices" mean basically the same thing. AT: "Stop doing all of your wicked actions" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])

# But they would not hear and did not pay attention to me

Both of these phrases mean that the people of Israel would not obey the commands of Yahweh. AT: "But they would not listen to my commands" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# this is Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated a similar phrase in [Zechariah 1:3](./01.md). AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-123person]])

# Your fathers, where are they? Where are the prophets, are they here forever?

These two rhetorical questions emphasize that both their ancestors and the prophets who proclaimed Yahweh's message to their ancestors have died. The questions can be translated as a statement. AT: "Neither your fathers nor the prophets are here because they have all died." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# But my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers?

This rhetorical question emphasizes the positive answer that it anticipates. Yahweh speaks of the people's ancestors experiencing the consequences of not obeying Yahweh's commands as if his words and decrees were a person who had chased after and overtaken them. The question can be translated as a statement. AT: "But my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets have overtaken your fathers." or "But your fathers have suffered the consequences for disobeying my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets to tell them." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# my words and my decrees

These phrases are both ways to refer to Yahweh's message that the prophets had declared to their ancestors. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])

# our ways and actions

The words "ways" and "actions" mean basically the same thing. AT: "our behavior" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/father]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/evil]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/declare]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/word]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/decree]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/command]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/servant]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]]