| 耶肋米亞 |
Jeremiah |
| 1瑪堂的兒子舍法提雅，帕市胡爾的兒子革達里雅，舍肋米雅兒子猶加耳，瑪耳基雅的兒子帕市胡爾聽見耶肋米亞向全體人民講話說： |
1 Shephatiah, son of Mattan, Gedaliah, son of Pashhur, Jucal, son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur, son of Malchiah, heard Jeremiah speaking these words to all the people: |
| 2「上主這樣說：凡留在這城裏的，必死於刀劍、饑荒和瘟疫；凡出降加色丁人的，必能生存：獲得生命如獲得戰利品一樣，可得生存。 |
2Thus says the LORD: He who remains in this city shall die by sword, or famine, or pestilence; but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be spared him as booty, and he shall live. |
| 3上主這樣說：這座城市必交在巴比倫王軍隊的手中，他必佔領這座城市。」 |
3Thus says the LORD: This city shall certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon; he shall capture it. |
| 4眾首長就對君王說：「請將這人處死！因為他說出了這樣使遺留在城裏的戰士和全體人民喪志的話；實在，這人謀求的，不是人民的福利，而是人民的災禍。」 |
4 "This man ought to be put to death," the princes said to the king; "he demoralizes the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin." |
| 5漆德克雅王答說：「看，他已經在你們手中；君王不能反對你們。」 |
5King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power"; for the king could do nothing with them. |
| 6他們便將耶肋米亞丟在王子瑪耳基雅在監獄庭院裏有的蓄水池內，用繩將他放下去；池內沒有水，只有污泥；耶肋米亞就陷在污泥裏。 |
6And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. |
| 7住在王宮裏的雇士人厄貝得默肋客宦官，聽見人把耶肋米亞放在蓄水池裏。那時君王正坐在本雅明門旁， |
7 Now Ebed-melech, a Cushite, a courtier in the king's palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened just then to be at the Gate of Benjamin, |
| 8厄貝得默肋客就從王宮出來，稟告君王說： |
8and Ebed-melech went there from the palace and said to him, |
| 9「我主君王！這些人對先知耶肋米亞作的事，實在毒辣；他們竟將他丟在蓄水池裏，在那裏他必要餓死，因為城中沒有糧食了！」 |
9"My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city." |
| 10王便命雇士人厄貝得默肋客說：「你立即帶三個人去，將耶肋米亞先知，趁他還沒有死，從蓄水池裏拉出來！」 |
10Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite to take three men along with him, and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die. |
| 11厄貝得默肋客立即帶了一些人，回到王宮，從儲藏室拿了些破舊衣裳和破舊布片，用繩索給在蓄水池的耶肋米亞放下去。 |
11Ebed-melech took the men along with him, and went first to the linen closet in the palace, from which he took some old, tattered rags; these he sent down to Jeremiah in the cistern, with ropes. |
| 12雇士人厄貝得默肋客對耶肋米亞說：「請你把破舊的衣服和布片，放在你兩腋下，然後把繩放在下面。」耶肋米亞就這樣作了。 |
12Then he said to Jeremiah, "Put the old, tattered rags between your armpits and the ropes." Jeremiah did so, |
| 13於是他們用繩索將耶肋米亞從蓄水池裏拉上來；這樣，耶肋米亞纔仍能住在拘留所的庭院裏。 |
13and they drew him up with the ropes out of the cistern. But Jeremiah remained in the quarters of the guard. |
| 14漆德克雅王派人帶耶肋米亞先知到上主殿宇第三入口處去見他。君王對耶肋米亞說：「我要問你一件事，你什麼也不可對我隱瞞！」 |
14Once King Zedekiah summoned the prophet Jeremiah to come to him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. "I have a question to ask you," the king said to Jeremiah; "hide nothing from me." Jeremiah answered Zedekiah: |
| 15耶肋米亞答覆漆德克雅說：「我若稟告你，你豈不要將我處死嗎？我若給你出主意，你也不會聽從我！」 |
15If I tell you anything, you will have me killed, will you not? If I counsel you, you will not listen to me! |
| 16漆德克雅王對耶肋米亞暗地發誓說：「那賜與我們這生命的上主永在，我決不將你處死，也決不將你交在這些圖謀你性命者的手中。」 |
16But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah secretly: "As the LORD lives who gave us the breath of life, I will not kill you; nor will I hand you over to these men who seek your life." |
| 17於是耶肋米亞對漆德克雅說：「萬軍的天主，以色列的天主上主這樣說：如果你出去，向巴比倫王的將帥投降，你的性命必可保全，這城不至於被焚；你和你全家也必生存。 |
17Thereupon Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: Thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you surrender to the princes of Babylon's king, you shall save your life; this city shall not be destroyed with fire, and you and your family shall live. |
| 18但是，如果你不出去向巴比倫王將帥投降，這城必會被交在加色丁人的手裏，由他們放火燒城，而你也逃不出他們的手。」 |
18But if you do not surrender to the princes of Babylon's king, this city shall fall into the hands of the Chaldeans, who shall destroy it with fire, and you shall not escape their hands. |
| 19漆德克雅王便對耶肋米亞說：「我很害怕那些投降加色丁人的猶太人，將我交在他們手中，任他們淩辱我。」 |
19King Zedekiah, however, said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the men of Judah who have deserted to the Chaldeans; I may be handed over to them, and they will mistreat me." |
| 20耶肋米亞答說：「他們不會將你交出！在我對你所說的事上，你只管聽上主的聲音，事必於你有利，你的性命必可保全。 |
20You will not be handed over, Jeremiah answered. Please obey the voice of the LORD and do as I tell you; then it shall go well with you, and your life will be spared. |
| 21但是，如果你拒絕出降，這就是上主使我預見的事： |
21But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD shows me: |
| 22看，凡留在猶大王宮的一切婦女，都要被領出，交給巴比倫王的將帥，哭訴着說：對你高唱和平的友人，欺騙了你，愚弄了你；見你雙腳陷入泥淖，就轉背逃遁。 |
22All the women left in the house of Judah's king shall be brought out to the princes of Babylon's king, and they shall taunt you thus: "They betrayed you, outdid you, your good friends! Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they slink away." |
| 23你的妻子兒女，都要被領出，交給加色丁人；連你也逃不出他們的手，終於被巴比倫王捉去；至於這城，必要被火焚毀。」 |
23All your wives and sons shall be led forth to the Chaldeans, and you shall not escape their hands; you shall be handed over to the king of Babylon, and this city shall be destroyed with fire. |
| 24於是漆德克雅對耶肋米亞說：「任何人不得知道這些話，否則你就該死！ |
24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know about this conversation, or you shall die. |
| 25倘若首長們聽說我曾與你談論，而前來問你說：請你告訴我們，你對君王說了什麼？你不可對我們隱瞞，否則我們就要你的命！究竟君王對你說了些什麼？ |
25If the princes hear I spoke to you, if they come and ask you, 'Tell us what you said to the king; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,' or, 'What did the king say to you?' |
| 26你要回答他們說：我向君王面呈我的請求，請他不要叫我再回到約納堂的家裏去，而死在那裏。」 |
26give them this answer: 'I petitioned the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'" |
| 27果然，眾首長前來質問耶肋米亞，他就全依照君王吩咐的話答覆了他們。他們對他無話可說，因為那次的談話，沒有被人竊聽了去。 |
27When all the princes came to Jeremiah, they questioned him, and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. They said no more to him, for nothing had been heard of the earlier conversation. |
| 28這樣，耶肋米亞直到耶路撒冷淪陷的那一天，就住在拘留所的庭院裏。當耶路撒冷被攻陷以後── |
28Thus Jeremiah stayed in the quarters of the guard till the day Jerusalem was taken.When Jerusalem was taken. . . . |
