耶利米书 37

¹约西亚的儿子西底家代替约雅敬的儿子哥尼雅为王，是巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒立在犹大地作王的。Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.

²但西底家和他的臣仆，并国中的百姓，都不听从耶和华借先知耶利米所说的话。But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

³西底家王打发示利米雅的儿子犹甲和祭司玛西雅的儿子西番雅去见先知耶利米，说：“求你为我们祷告耶和华—我们的　神。”Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!”

⁴那时耶利米在民中出入，因为他们还没有把他囚在监里。Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.

⁵法老的军队已经从埃及出来，那围困耶路撒冷的迦勒底人听见他们的风声，就拔营离开耶路撒冷去了。Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶耶和华的话临到先知耶利米说：Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet:

⁷“耶和华—以色列的　神如此说：犹大王打发你们来求问我，你们要如此对他说：‘那出来帮助你们法老的军队必回埃及本国去。“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.

⁸迦勒底人必再来攻打这城，并要攻取，用火焚烧。Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.

⁹耶和华如此说：你们不要自欺说“迦勒底人必定离开我们”，因为他们必不离开。This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not!

¹⁰你们即便杀败了与你们争战的迦勒底全军，但剩下受伤的人也必各人从帐棚里起来，用火焚烧这城。’”Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”

¹¹迦勒底的军队因怕法老的军队，拔营离开耶路撒冷的时候，When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

¹²耶利米就杂在民中出离耶路撒冷，要往便雅悯地去，在那里得自己的地业。Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people.

¹³他到了便雅悯门那里，有守门官名叫伊利雅，是哈拿尼亚的孙子、示利米雅的儿子，他就拿住先知耶利米，说：“你是投降迦勒底人哪！”But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”

¹⁴耶利米说：“你这是谎话，我并不是投降迦勒底人。”伊利雅不听他的话，就拿住他，解到首领那里。“That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.

¹⁵首领恼怒耶利米，就打了他，将他囚在文士约拿单的房屋中，因为他们以这房屋当作监牢。The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.

¹⁶耶利米来到狱中，进入牢房，在那里囚了多日。So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and remained there a long time.

¹⁷西底家王打发人提出他来，在自己的宫内私下问他说：“从耶和华有什么话临到没有？”耶利米说：“有！”又说：“你必交在巴比伦王手中。”Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁸耶利米又对西底家王说：“我在什么事上得罪你，或你的臣仆，或这百姓，你竟将我囚在监里呢？Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?

¹⁹对你们预言巴比伦王必不来攻击你们和这地的先知，现今在哪里呢？Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?

²⁰主—我的王啊，求你现在垂听，准我在你面前的恳求：不要使我回到文士约拿单的房屋中，免得我死在那里。”But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

²¹于是，西底家王下令，他们就把耶利米交在护卫兵的院中，每天从饼铺街取一个饼给他，直到城中的饼用尽了。这样，耶利米仍在护卫兵的院中。So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.