< エレミヤ書 4 >

1 ヱホバいひたまふイスラエルよ汝もし歸らば我に歸れ汝もし憎むべき者を我前より除かば流蕩はじ
“If you will return, Israel,” says the LORD, “if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you will not be removed;
2 かつ汝は眞實と正直と公義とをもてヱホバは活くと誓はんさらば萬國の民は彼によりて福祉をうけ彼によりて誇るべし
and you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in him, and they will glory in him.”
3 ヱホバ、ユダとヱルサレムの人々にかくいひ給ふ汝等の新田を耕せ荊棘の中に種くなかれ。
For the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, and don’t sow amongst thorns.
4 ユダの人々とヱルサレムに住める者よ汝等みづから割禮をおこなひてヱホバに屬きおのれの心の前の皮を去れ然らざれば汝等の惡行のためわが怒火の如くに發して燃えんこれを滅すものなかるべし
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go out like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 汝等ユダに告げヱルサレムに示していへ箛を國の中に吹けとまた大聲に呼はりていへ汝等あつまれ我儕堅き邑にゆくべしと
Declare in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, ‘Blow the trumpet in the land!’ Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves! Let’s go into the fortified cities!’
6 シオンに指示す合圖の旗をたてよ逃よ留まる勿れそは我北より災とおほいなる敗壞をきたらすればなり
Set up a standard towards Zion. Flee for safety! Don’t wait; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.”
7 獅子は其森よりいでて上り國々を滅すものは進みきたる彼汝の國を荒さんとて旣にその處よりいでたり汝の諸邑は滅されて住む者なきに至らん
A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations. He is on his way. He has gone out from his place, to make your land desolate, that your cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.
8 この故に汝等麻の衣を身にまとひて悲み哭けそはヱホバの烈しき怒いまだ我儕を離れざればなり
For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of the LORD hasn’t turned back from us.
9 ヱホバいひたまひけるはその日王と牧伯等はその心をうしなひ祭司は驚き預言者は異むべし
“It will happen at that day,” says the LORD, “that the heart of the king will perish, along with the heart of the princes. The priests will be astonished, and the prophets will wonder.”
10 我いひけるは嗚呼主ヱホバよ汝はまことに此民とヱルサレムを大にあざむきたまふすなはち汝はなんぢら安かるべしと云給ひしに劍命にまでおよべり
Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace;’ whereas the sword reaches to the heart.”
11 その時この民とヱルサレムにいふものあらん熱き風 曠野の童山よりわが民の女にふききたると此は簸るためにあらず潔むる爲にもあらざるなり
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind blows from the bare heights in the wilderness towards the daughter of my people, not to winnow, nor to cleanse.
12 これよりも猶はげしき風われより來らん今我かれらに鞫を示さん
A full wind from these will come for me. Now I will also utter judgements against them.”
13 みよ彼は雲のごとく上りきたらん其車は颶風のごとくにしてその馬は鷹よりも疾し嗚呼われらは禍なるかな我儕滅さるべし
Behold, he will come up as clouds, and his chariots will be as the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! For we are ruined.
14 ヱルサレムよ汝の心の惡をあらひ潔めよ然ばすくはれん汝の惡き念いつまで汝のうちにあるや
Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long will your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15 ダンより告ぐる聲ありエフライムの山より災を知するなり
For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes evil from the hills of Ephraim:
16 汝ら國々の民に告げまたヱルサレムに知らせよ攻めかこむ者遠き國より來りユダの諸邑にむかひて其聲を揚ぐと
“Tell the nations, behold, publish against Jerusalem, ‘Watchers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 彼らは田圃をまもる者のごとくにこれを圍むこは我に從はざりしに由るとヱホバいひ給ふ
As keepers of a field, they are against her all around, because she has been rebellious against me,’” says the LORD.
18 汝の途と汝の行これを汝に招けりこれは汝の惡なり誠に苦くして汝の心におよぶ
“Your way and your doings have brought these things to you. This is your wickedness, for it is bitter, for it reaches to your heart.”
19 嗚呼わが腸よ我腸よ痛苦心の底におよびわが心胸とどろくわれ默しがたし我靈魂よ汝箛の聲と軍の鬨をきくなり
My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart! My heart trembles within me. I can’t hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 敗滅に敗滅のしらせありこの地は皆荒されわが幕屋は頃刻にやぶられ我幕は忽ち破られたり
Destruction on destruction is decreed, for the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, and my curtains gone in a moment.
21 我が旗をみ箛の聲をきくは何時までぞや
How long will I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 それ我民は愚にして我を識らず拙き子等にして曉ることなし彼らは惡を行ふに智けれども善を行ふことを知ず
“For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skilful in doing evil, but they don’t know how to do good.”
23 われ地を見るに形なくして空くあり天を仰ぐに其處に光なし
I saw the earth and, behold, it was waste and void, and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 我山を見るに皆震へまた諸の丘も動けり
I saw the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.
25 我見に人あることなし天空の鳥も皆飛されり
I saw, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky had fled.
26 我みるに肥美なる地は沙漠となり且その諸の邑はヱホバの前にその烈しき怒の前に毀たれたり
I saw, and behold, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the LORD, before his fierce anger.
27 そはヱホバかくいひたまへりすべて此地は荒地とならんされど我ことごとくは之を滅さじ
For the LORD says, “The whole land will be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
28 故に地は皆哀しみ上なる天は暗くならん我すでに之をいひ且これを定めて悔いずまた之をなす事を止ざればなり
For this the earth will mourn, and the heavens above be black, because I have spoken it. I have planned it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.”
29 邑の人みな騎兵と射者の咄喊のために逃て叢林にいり又岩の上に升れり邑はみな棄られて其處に住む人なし
Every city flees for the noise of the horsemen and archers. They go into the thickets and climb up on the rocks. Every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells therein.
30 滅されたる者よ汝何をなさんとするや設令汝くれなゐの衣をき金の飾物をもて身を粧ひ目をぬりて大くするとも汝が身を粧ふはいたづらなり汝の戀人らは汝をいやしめ汝のいのちを索るなり
You, when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with makeup, you make yourself beautiful in vain. Your lovers despise you. They seek your life.
31 われ子をうむ婦のごとき聲首子をうむ者の苦むがごとき聲を聞く是れシオンの女の聲なりかれ自ら歎き手をのべていふ嗚呼われは禍なるかな我靈魂殺す者のために疲れはてぬ
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who gives birth to her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads her hands, saying, “Woe is me now! For my soul faints before the murderers.”

< エレミヤ書 4 >