Jeremiah 37

1 And then king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned in place of Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim. For Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, appointed him as king in the land of Judah.

約西亞的兒子西底家代替約雅敬的兒子哥尼雅為王，是巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒立在猶大地作王的。

2 And neither he himself, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, obeyed the words of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah, the prophet.

但西底家和他的臣僕，並國中的百姓，都不聽從耶和華藉先知耶利米所說的話。

3 And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “Pray to the Lord our God for us.”

西底家王打發示利米雅的兒子猶甲和祭司瑪西雅的兒子西番雅去見先知耶利米，說：「求你為我們禱告耶和華－我們的上帝。」

4 Now Jeremiah was walking freely in the midst of the people. For they had not yet sent him into the custody of the prison.

那時耶利米在民中出入，因為他們還沒有把他囚在監裏。

5 And then the army of Pharaoh went forth from Egypt. And hearing this, the Chaldeans, who were besieging Jerusalem, withdrew from Jerusalem.

法老的軍隊已經從埃及出來，那圍困耶路撒冷的迦勒底人聽見他們的風聲，就拔營離開耶路撒冷去了。

6 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

耶和華的話臨到先知耶利米說：

7 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: So shall you say to the king of Judah, who sent you to question me: Behold, the army of Pharaoh, which has gone forth in assistance to you, will return to their own land, into Egypt.

「耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：猶大王打發你們來求問我，你們要如此對他說：『那出來幫助你們法老的軍隊必回埃及本國去。

8 And the Chaldeans will return and will make war against this city. And they will seize it and burn it with fire.

迦勒底人必再來攻打這城，並要攻取，用火焚燒。

9 Thus says the Lord: Do not be willing to deceive your own souls, saying: ‘The Chaldeans will certainly withdraw and go away from us.’ For they will not go away.

耶和華如此說：你們不要自欺說「迦勒底人必定離開我們」，因為他們必不離開。

10 But even if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and if there were left behind from among them only a few wounded men, they would rise up, each one from his tent, and they would burn this city with fire.”

你們即便殺敗了與你們爭戰的迦勒底全軍，但剩下受傷的人也必各人從帳棚裏起來，用火焚燒這城。』」

11 Therefore, when the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,

迦勒底的軍隊因怕法老的軍隊，拔營離開耶路撒冷的時候，

12 Jeremiah went forth from Jerusalem, to go into the land of Benjamin, and to distribute a possession there, in the sight of the citizens.

耶利米就雜在民中出離耶路撒冷，要往便雅憫地去，在那裏得自己的地業。

13 And when he had arrived at the gate of Benjamin, the keeper of the gate, whose turn it was to be there, was named Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah. And he apprehended Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are fleeing to the Chaldeans.”

他到了便雅憫門那裏，有守門官名叫伊利雅，是哈拿尼亞的孫子、示利米雅的兒子，他就拿住先知耶利米，說：「你是投降迦勒底人哪！」

14 And Jeremiah responded: “That is false. I am not fleeing to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him. And so Irijah took Jeremiah, and he brought him to the leaders.

耶利米說：「你這是謊話，我並不是投降迦勒底人。」伊利雅不聽他的話，就拿住他，解到首領那裏。

15 Therefore, the leaders were angry with Jeremiah, and so they beat him and sent him to the prison that was in the house of Jonathan, the scribe. For he was the chief over the prison.

首領惱怒耶利米，就打了他，將他囚在文士約拿單的房屋中，因為他們以這房屋當作監牢。

16 And so Jeremiah went into the house of the prison and into a dungeon. And Jeremiah sat there for many days.

耶利米來到獄中，進入牢房，在那裏囚了多日。

17 Then Zedekiah the king, sending, took him out and questioned him secretly in his house, and he said: “Do you think that there is any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said: “There is.” And he said: “You will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

西底家王打發人提出他來，在自己的宮內私下問他說：「從耶和華有甚麼話臨到沒有？」耶利米說：「有！」又說：「你必交在巴比倫王手中。」

18 And Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah: “How have I sinned against you, or your servants, or your people, such that you would cast me into a house of imprisonment?

耶利米又對西底家王說：「我在甚麼事上得罪你，或你的臣僕，或這百姓，你竟將我囚在監裏呢？

19 Where are your prophets, who were prophesying to you, and who were saying: ‘The king of Babylon will not overwhelm you and this land?’

對你們預言巴比倫王必不來攻擊你們和這地的先知，現今在哪裏呢？

20 Now therefore, listen, I beg you, my lord the king. Let my petition prevail in your sight. And do not send me back into the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”

主－我的王啊，求你現在垂聽，准我在你面前的懇求：不要使我回到文士約拿單的房屋中，免得我死在那裏。」

21 Then king Zedekiah instructed that Jeremiah be confined to the vestibule of the prison, and that they should give him a twist of bread daily, along with stew, until all the bread in the city had been consumed. And Jeremiah remained at the entrance of the prison.

於是，西底家王下令，他們就把耶利米交在護衛兵的院中，每天從餅舖街取一個餅給他，直到城中的餅用盡了。這樣，耶利米仍在護衛兵的院中。