2 Kings 17:13

the Lord testified against[R.V. unto] Israel and against[R.V. unto] Judah The preposition is that which is usually rendered -in". And God's witness by His prophets was at first a witness of warning and exhortation, and his anger was long restrained and not at first grievously kindled against them.

by all the prophets, and by all the seers R.V. by the hand of every prophet and of every seer. The R.V. has translated the consonants in the word which is rendered by A.V. -prophets" but has divided them differently. As the A.V. has taken them there is no conjunction -and" expressed, but by dividing the consonants in a different way the word becomes = -prophet and". Thus the sense and grammar are complete, which they were not before.

Turn ye from your evil ways For the language cf. Jeremiah 7:3; Jeremiah 18:11; Jeremiah 25:5; Jeremiah 26:13; Jeremiah 35:15. But the same message was in substance preached by every one of the prophets from Samuel to Malachi.

by my servants R.V. by the hand of my servants. As in the earlier part of this verse and again in verse 23, this Hebraism is preserved by the Revisers. It has become so rooted in the Biblical language of our country that there is no need to avoid a literal rendering of it.