耶利米書 34
1 巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒率領他的全軍和地上屬他的各國各邦，攻打耶路撒冷和屬耶路撒冷所有的城邑。那時，耶和華的話臨到耶利米說：
The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all of his army, together with all the kingdoms of the earth, the domains under his power, and all their people were waging war against Jerusalem and all of her cities, saying:
2 「耶和華－以色列的上帝說，你去告訴猶大王西底家，耶和華如此說：我要將這城交付巴比倫王的手，他必用火焚燒。
“Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will burn it.
3 你必不能逃脫他的手，定被拿住，交在他的手中。你的眼要見巴比倫王的眼，他要口對口和你說話，你也必到巴比倫去。
You will not escape from his hand, for you will certainly be seized and given into his hand. Your eyes will look at the eyes of the king of Babylon; he will speak directly to you as you go to Babylon.'
4 猶大王西底家啊，你還要聽耶和華的話。耶和華論到你如此說：你必不被刀劍殺死，
Listen to the word of Yahweh, Zedekiah king of Judah! Yahweh says this concerning you, 'You will not die by the sword.
5 你必平安而死，人必為你焚燒物件，好像為你列祖，就是在你以前的先王焚燒一般。人必為你舉哀說：『哀哉！我主啊。』耶和華說：這話是我說的。」
You will die in peace. As in the funeral burning of your ancestors, the kings who were before you, they will burn your body. They will say, “Woe, master!” They will lament for you. Now I have spoken—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”
6 於是，先知耶利米在耶路撒冷將這一切話告訴猶大王西底家。
So Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem.
7 那時，巴比倫王的軍隊正攻打耶路撒冷，又攻打猶大所剩下的城邑，就是拉吉和亞西加。原來猶大的堅固城只剩下這兩座。
The army of the king of Babylon made war against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah: Lachish and Azekah. These cities of Judah remained as fortified cities.
8 西底家王與耶路撒冷的眾民立約，要向他們宣告自由，叫各人任他希伯來的僕人和婢女自由出去，誰也不可使他的一個猶大弟兄作奴僕。（此後，有耶和華的話臨到耶利米。）
The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them,
that each man must free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, so one was to make a slave of a Jew, who was his brother.
10 所有立約的首領和眾民就任他的僕人婢女自由出去，誰也不再叫他們作奴僕。大家都順從，將他們釋放了；
So all the leaders and people entered into the covenant that each person would free his male and female slaves so that they would not be enslaved any longer. They obeyed and set them free.
11 後來卻又反悔，叫所任去自由的僕人婢女回來，勉強他們仍為僕婢。
But after this they changed their minds. They brought back the slaves whom they had freed. They forced them to become slaves again.
12 因此耶和華的話臨到耶利米說：
So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,
13 「耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：我將你們的列祖從埃及地為奴之家領出來的時候，與他們立約說：
“Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, 'I myself made a covenant with your ancestors on the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, out from the house of slavery. That was when I said,
14 『你的一個希伯來弟兄若賣給你，服事你六年，到第七年你們各人就要任他自由出去。』只是你們列祖不聽從我，也不側耳而聽。
“At the end of every seven years, each man must send away his brother, his fellow Hebrew who had sold himself to you and served you for six years. Send him away in freedom.” But your ancestors did not listen to me or incline their ears to me.
15 如今你們回轉，行我眼中看為正的事，各人向鄰舍宣告自由，並且在稱為我名下的殿中、在我面前立約。
Now you yourselves repented and began to do what is right in my eyes. You proclaimed freedom, each man to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name.
16 你們卻又反悔，褻瀆我的名，各人叫所任去隨意自由的僕人婢女回來，勉強他們仍為僕婢。
But then you turned and polluted my name; you caused each man to bring back his male and female slaves, the ones whom you had sent out to go where they wished. You forced them to become your slaves again.'
17 所以耶和華如此說：你們沒有聽從我，各人向弟兄鄰舍宣告自由。看哪！我向你們宣告一樣自由，就是使你們自由於刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫之下，並且使你們在天下萬國中拋來拋去。這是耶和華說的。
Therefore Yahweh says this, 'You yourselves have not listened to me. You should have proclaimed freedom, every one of you, to your brothers and fellow Israelites. So look! I am about to proclaim freedom to you—this is Yahweh's declaration—freedom for the sword, the plague, and famine, for I am going to make you a horrible thing in the sight of every kingdom on earth.
18 猶大的首領、耶路撒冷的首領、太監、祭司，和國中的眾民曾將牛犢劈開，分成兩半，從其中經過，在我面前立約。後來又違背我的約，不遵行這約上的話。
Then I will deal with the people who have broken my covenant, who did not keep the words of the covenant that they established before me when they cut a bull in two and walked between its parts,
and then the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land walked between the parts of the bull.
20 我必將他們交在仇敵和尋索其命的人手中；他們的屍首必給空中的飛鳥和地上的野獸作食物。
I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their lives. Their bodies will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts on the earth.
21 並且我必將猶大王西底家和他的首領交在他們仇敵和尋索其命的人，與那暫離你們而去巴比倫王軍隊的手中。
So I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his leaders into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has risen up against you.
22 耶和華說：我必吩咐他們回到這城，攻打這城，將城攻取，用火焚燒。我也要使猶大的城邑變為荒場，無人居住。」
Look, I am about to give a command—this is Yahweh's declaration—and will bring them back to this city to wage war against it and take it, and to burn it. For I will turn the cities of Judah into ruined places in which there will be no inhabitants.'”
