耶利米書 4
1 以色列，若是你歸來──上主的斷語──就應向我歸來；若是你從我面前除去你可惡的偶像，就不應再四處遊蕩；
IF thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2 若是你以誠實、公平和正義指著「上主永在」起誓，那麼，萬民必因你而蒙受祝福，也因你而得到光榮。
And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3 因為上主對猶大人和耶路撒冷居民這樣說：「你們要開懇荒地，不要在荊棘中播種。
For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民! 你們應為上主自行割損，除去心上的包皮，以免因你們的惡行，我的憤怒如火彶作，焚燒得無人能熄滅。」
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 你們應該在猶大宣佈，在耶路撒冷發表，在境內吹起號角，大聲疾呼說：「你們應集合，我們要進攻堅城! 」
Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6 你們應該給熙雍指出路標，趕快出逃，絲毫不可遲延，因為我要由北方招來災禍，絕大的毀滅。
Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 獅子已衝出牠的叢林，毀滅萬民者已起程走出了他的宮庭，前來使你的地域變為曠野，使你的城邑荒涼，再沒有人居住。
The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8 為此，你們應身穿苦衣，涕泣哀號，因為上主尚未由我們身上撤回衪的烈怒。
For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 到那一天──上主的斷語──君王與王侯必失去勇氣，司祭必驚駭，先知必驚異；
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10 人必要說：「哎! 吾主上主! 你的確欺騙了這人民和耶路撒冷說：你們必享平安；其實，刀劍已到我們的咽喉! 」
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
11 那時人要對這人民和耶路撒冷說：「荒丘的熱風由曠野向我人民吹來，不是為吹淨，不是為清潔；
At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12 有一股強烈的風應我的命吹來；現在我要去裁判他們。
Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13 看啊! 他如濃雲湧上來，他的戰車有如旋風，他的戰馬快萵飛鷹! 禍哉! 我們算是完了!
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 耶路撒冷! 洗淨你心內的邪惡，好使你能獲救。你那不義的思念藏在你內，要到何時﹖
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
15 因為由丹傳來信息，由厄弗辣因山聽到了凶信：
For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16 你們應通知人民，轉告耶路撒冷：圍攻的人由遠方前來，向猶大各城高聲吶喊，
Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 像護守田地的人將她密密包圍，因為她觸怒了我──上主的斷語。
As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord.
18 是你的行徑和作為給你造成了這一切；是你的邪惡使你受苦，受到傷心的痛苦。
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
19 我的肺腑，我的肺腑! 我心已破碎，我心焦燥不寧，我不能緘默! 因為我親自聽到了角聲，開戰的喧嚷。
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 真是毀滅上加毀滅，全地盡已破壞；我的帳幕突然倒塌，我的帷帳突然毀壞。
Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21 我瞻望敵旗，聞聽角聲，要到幾時﹖
How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 這是因為我的人民愚昧，竟不認識我，是些無知的子民，沒有明悟，只知作惡，不知行善。
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 我觀望大地，看，空虛混沌，我觀望諸天，卻毫無光亮；
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 我觀望山岳，它在戰慄，
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 我觀望看，一個人也沒有，連天空的飛鳥都已逃循；所有的丘陵都在搖撼。
I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 我觀望，看，農田盡變為荒野，所有的城邑盡毀於上主，毀於上主的烈怒。
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 原來上主這樣說：全地固然要荒蕪，但我卻不徹底加以毀滅。
For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 為此，大地要悲傷，在上諸天要昏暗；因為我說了，再不後悔；決定了，再不撤回。
For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 全城的人聽到了騎兵和弓手的喧嚷，都四散逃命，有深入森林的，有爬上山岩的；所有的城市都被放棄，沒有人居住。
The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30 你已被蹂躪還有什麼企圖﹖既使你身被紫綿，佩帶金飾，以鉛華描劃眼眉，使你漂亮，也是徒然! 你的愛人蔑視你，想謀害你的生命。
And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31 的確，我聽到了仿佛產婦的叫聲，仿佛首次分娩的呻吟，是熙雍女兒在伸開雙手喘息哀嘆：我真可憐．因為我的生命已陷在殘害者手中!
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
