⁴ Don’t be like your ·ancestors [fathers]. ·In the past the [The former/earlier] prophets said to them: This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] says: ‘·Stop [Turn from] your evil ways and evil actions.’ But they wouldn’t listen or pay attention to me, says the Lord. ⁵ Your ·ancestors [fathers] ·are dead [^Lwhere are they…?], and those prophets ·didn’t [^Ldo they…?] live forever. ⁶ I commanded my words and ·laws [statutes] to my servants the prophets, and ·they preached to [or they came true to; ^Ldid they not overtake…?] your ·ancestors [fathers], who returned to me. They said, ‘The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] did as he ·said he would [determined to do]. He punished us for ·the way we lived and for what we did [^Lour ways and deeds].’”