耶利米書 27
1 猶大王約史雅的兒子漆德克雅第四年，上主有這話傳給耶肋米亞說：「
Soon after Zedekiah became the King of Judah, Yahweh gave a message to me.
2 上主對我這樣說：你要備製繩索和木軛，放在你頸上；
This is what he said to me: “Make a (yoke/set of wooden bars to fasten around the neck of an ox), but fasten it around your own neck with leather straps.
3 然後託那些來耶路撒冷覲見猶大王漆德克雅的使者，送給厄東王和摩阿布王，阿孟子民的王和提洛王以及漆冬王，
[Then] send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, by telling those messages to the ambassadors from those countries who have come to Jerusalem to [talk to] King Zedekiah.
4 吩咐他們對自己的主上說：萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：你們應如此對你們的主上說：
Tell them to give this message to their kings: This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship, ]:
5 是我以我的大能和我伸展的手臂，創造了大地、人類及地面上的走獸，我能把大地賜給我喜歡給的人。
‘With my very great power [MTY, DOU] I created the earth and the people and the animals that are on the earth. And I can give my power to anyone whom I want to.
6 現在我把這些土地交在我的僕人巴比倫王拿步高的手中，連田野的走獸我也賜給他，作他的奴隸；
And now I am going to enable King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who does what I want him to do, to control your countries. I am going to enable him to rule everything, even the wild animals.
7 列國要作他、他的兒子和孫子的奴隸，直到他國家的時運終於來到──他也不例外──那時必有強盛的民族和強大的君王來使他作奴隸。
[The people of] all the nations will work for him, and [later] for his son, and [later] for his grandson, until the time for them [to rule] is finished. Then [the armies of] many great kings from many nations will conquer Babylon.’
8 若一個民族或國家，不願作巴比倫王拿步高的奴隸，或不願屈服在巴比倫王軛下，我必以戰爭、饑饉和瘟疫懲罰這民族──上主的斷語──直至將他們悉數交在他手中。
But now I tell you that you must [do what the king of Babylon wants you to do] [MET], [like an ox that has] a yoke on its neck [must do what its master wants it to do]. I will punish any nation that refuses to do that. I will cause those people to experience war and famine and diseases, until [the armies of] Babylon have conquered that nation.
9 所以你們不要聽從常對你們說：「你們決不會作巴比倫王的奴隸」的先知、占卦師、卜夢者、巫士和術士的話，
So, do not pay attention to your [false] prophets and fortune-tellers and people who predict what will happen by working magic or by talking with spirits of dead people. Those people say that the king of Babylon will not conquer your country.
10 因為他們給你們預言的只是謊話，致使你們遠故土，叫我驅逐你們，令你們趨於滅亡。
Those people are [all] liars. [If you believe what they say, ] it will result in your being exiled from your land. I will cause you to be taken from your land, and you will die far away.
11 至於引領接受巴比倫王的軛，甘願作他奴隸的民族，我必使他們仍留在本土──上主的斷語──在那裏安居樂業。
But the people of any country who do what the King of Babylon wants them to do will remain in their own country and be able to plant their crops [MTY] [as they always have done. That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
12 我於是全依照這些話轉告猶大王漆德克雅說：「你應引頸接受巴比倫王的軛，服事他和他的人民，你們纔可生存。
[After I gave that message to those ambassadors, ] I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. [I said to him, ] “If you want to remain alive, do what the King of Babylon and his officials want you to do [MET].
13 為什麼你和你的人民寧願死於刀劍、饑饉和瘟疫，如同上主對不願服事巴比倫王的民族所警告的呢﹖
[It would be foolish for you not to do that, because the result would be that] you and your people would die by [your enemies’] swords or by famine or diseases, which Yahweh will cause any nation to experience that refuses to allow the King of Babylon to rule them.
14 你們不要聽從對你們說：「不要服事巴比倫王」的先知的話，因為他們給你們預言的只是謊話；
Do not pay attention to those prophets who say to you, ‘The King of Babylon will not conquer your country.’ They are liars.
15 我並沒有派遣他們──上主的斷語──他們竟奉我的名向你們預言，叫我驅逐你們，使你們和對你們說預言的先知同趨滅亡。」
[This is what] Yahweh says: ‘I have not appointed those prophets. They are saying that I [MTY] gave them messages, but they are lying. So, [if you believe them, ] I will expel you from this land. And you and all those prophets will die [in Babylon]!’”
16 對司祭和這全體人民我也曾警告說：「上主這樣說：你們的先知們對你們說：看，上主殿宇的器皿，現在快要由巴比送回來了! 你們不要聽信，因為他們對你們預言的只是謊話。
Then I spoke to the priests and the other people, and I said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Do not believe your prophets who tell you that all the gold items [that were taken] from my temple [by soldiers from Babylon] will soon be returned from Babylon, because what they are prophesying is a lie.
17 你們不要聽信他們，只管服事巴比倫王，就必生存。為什麼要使這城變為荒野﹖
Do not pay attention to what they say. Surrender to the king of Babylon. If you do that, you will remain alive. [If you do not do that] [RHQ], this entire city will be destroyed.
18 假使他們是先知，真有上主的話，請他們祈求萬軍的上主，使尚留在上主殿宇，猶大王宮和耶路撒冷的器皿，不致運到巴比倫去。
If they are really prophets who speak messages from me, tell them to plead to me, the Commander of the armies of angels, that [the soldiers from Babylon] will not be allowed to take away to Babylon the valuable items that [still] remain in the temple and in the king’s palace and in [the other palaces in] Jerusalem.
19 因為萬軍的上主這樣論到銅柱、銅海和銅座，以及在這城剩下的殘餘器皿，
[I say this] because the [huge] pillars [that are in front of the temple] and the large water tank and the [ten water] carts and all the other items that are used [for offering sacrifices are still in this city].
20 即巴比倫王拿步高把猶大王約雅金的兒子耶苛尼雅，及猶大和耶路撒冷所有的貴族，從耶路撒冷擄到巴比倫時，沒有帶走的器皿，
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left those things here when he exiled Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, to Babylon, along with all the [other] leaders of Jerusalem and [the leaders of other places in] Judah.
21 萬軍的上主，以色列的天主論到這些尚存在上主殿宇、猶大王宮和耶路撒冷的器皿，這樣說：
[I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say this about all those valuable things that are still outside the temple and in the palace of the king of Judah and in [other places in]:
22 都要運到巴比倫去，留在那裏，直到我再來眷顧的一天──上主的斷語──那時，我必再取回來，放在原處。」
They will [all] be carried away to Babylon. And they will stay there until I say that they should be brought back to Jerusalem. Then they will be bought back here. [That is what I, ] Yahweh, say.’”
