耶利米書 34
1 比倫王拿步高與自己的軍隊，及他手下統治的天下各國和一切民族，前來進攻耶路撒冷和她所有的城鎮時，有上主的話傳給耶肋米亞說：
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
2 「上主以色列的天主這樣說：你對猶大王漆德克雅說，告訴他上主這樣說：看，我必將這城交在巴比倫王手中，他將放火燒城，
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus said the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
3 你必逃不出他的手，終必被擒，交在他手中；你必要與巴比倫王目對目相視，面對面相談；你必要到巴比倫去；
And you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Babylon.
4 但是，猶大王漆德克雅! 請聽上主的話，上主論你這樣說：你決不會死在刀下，
Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus says the LORD of you, You shall not die by the sword:
5 必要和平死去；正如有人給在你以前的上代祖先君王焚香，同樣也有人給你焚香，向你致哀；『嘻嘻，我主! 』的確，是我說了這話──上主的斷語」。
But you shall die in peace: and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings which were before you, so shall they burn odors for you; and they will lament you, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, says the LORD.
6 耶肋米亞就在耶路撒冷，對猶大君王漆德克雅說了這一切話，
Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
7 那時巴比倫不的軍隊正在攻打耶路撒冷和猶大其餘的城市，攻打拉基士和阿則卡，因為在猶大城市中，只剩下了這兩座設防的城市。
When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defended cities remained of the cities of Judah.
8 漆德克雅王與當時在耶路撒冷的全體人民訂約，要對奴婢宣佈自由以後，有上主的話傳給耶肋米亞：
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;
9 每人應釋放自己的希伯來奴婢，使他們獲享自由；誰也不該再以自己的弟兄猶大人作奴婢。
That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
10 所有入盟的首長和全體人民都同意，每人要釋放自己的奴婢，使他們獲享自由，不再以他們為奴婢：他們同意了，也釋放了。
Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
11 但是，以後他們改變主意，把他們釋放恢復自由的奴婢，再叫回來，強迫他們再作奴婢。
But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
12 於是有上主的話傳給耶肋米亞說：
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
13 「上主以色列的天主這樣說：在我領你們的祖先，先由埃及地，奴隸之所，出來的那一天，與他們訂了盟約說：
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves, saying,
14 每七年初，你們應各自釋放賣給你們的希伯來弟兄：他服事了你六年，你應該讓他自由離去。你們的祖先卻不聽，也不向我側耳。
At the end of seven years let you go every man his brother an Hebrew, which has been sold to you; and when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you: but your fathers listened not to me, neither inclined their ear.
15 今年你們自己反悔，作了我認為正直的事，各向自己的近人宣布自由，在歸我名下的殿裏，當著我面訂了盟約。
And you were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
16 但事後卻變了主意，褻瀆我名，竟再召回自己已經釋放，身獲自由的奴婢，迫使他們再做你們的奴婢。
But you turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.
17 為此上主這樣說：你們既不聽從我，各自向自己的弟兄，各向自己的近人宣布自由，看，我來對你們宣佈釋放刀劍和瘟疫及飢荒的自由──上主的斷語──使你們成為地上一切王國驚慌恐怖的對象。
Therefore thus says the LORD; You have not listened to me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, said the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
18 凡違背我盟約，即不履行剖開牛犢，由兩半中間走過，在我面前所立的盟約誓詞人，我必將他們交出：
And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in two, and passed between the parts thereof,
19 凡剖開牛犢，由兩半中走過的猶大和耶路撒冷的首長、官員、司祭，以及當地的全體人民，
The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
20 我必將他們悉數交在他們的敵人，和圖謀他們性命者的手中，使他們的屍首成為天上飛鳥和地上走獸的食物。
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat to the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
21 至於猶大王漆德克雅和他的臣相，我也將他們交在他們敵人手中，交在圖謀他們性命者的手中，交在由你們面前撤退的巴比倫王軍隊的手中。
And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you.
22 我必下令──上主的斷語──叫他們再回來，進攻，佔領，火燒這城市；至於猶大的其他城市，我必使它們化為無人居住木荒野」。
Behold, I will command, says the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.
