耶利米書 44
1 以下是關於住在埃及地，住在米革多耳，塔黑培乃斯、諾夫和帕特洛斯地的一切猶太人，傳給耶肋米亞的話：「
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwelt in the land of Egypt, who dwelt at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
2 萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：你們看見了我對耶路撒冷和猶大各城召來的一切災禍，看，今日已成為無人居住的曠野。
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and behold they are, this day, a waste, and no man dwelleth therein,
3 這是因為他們做了惹我動怒的惡事，向他們、你們和你們的祖先從不認識的外方神祇焚香敬拜；
because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense to serve other gods which they knew not, they, [nor] ye, nor your fathers.
4 雖然我早就不斷洽你們派遣我所有的先知僕人們說：你們切不可做我所憎恨的可惡之事!
And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing which I hate!
5 他們卻沒有側耳聽從，沒有放棄他們向外方神祇焚香的惡習。
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.
6 於是我的憤恨如火發作，焚毀了猶大城市和耶路撒冷的街市，使她成為荒涼的曠野，有如今日。
And my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are become a waste, a desolation, as at this day.
7 現在，上主萬軍的天主以色列的天主這樣說：為什麼你們招來這樣大的災禍，加害自己，使你們中的男人、婦女、幼童、嬰兒，全由猶大滅絕，不給你們留下遺民﹖
And now thus saith Jehovah the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you no remnant;
8 為什麼你們做惹我動怒的事，向你們來寄居的埃及地的外方神祇獻香，使你們自遭滅亡，成為普世萬民詛咒和恥笑的對象﹖
provoking me to anger with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye are come to sojourn, that ye should be cut off, and that ye should be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
9 難道你們忘了你們的祖先、猶大君王和他們的妻妾、你們自己和你們的女人，在猶大地和耶路撒冷街上犯的種種罪惡﹖
Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 他們直到今日尚不後悔，也不畏懼，更不履行我給你們和你們的祖先頒布的法律和誡命。
They are not humbled unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes which I set before you and before your fathers.
11 為此，萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：看，我面向你們，是為降災，消滅整個猶大。
Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
12 凡決意往埃及地去，要六那裏寄居的猶大遺民，我必要剷除，叫他們全死在埃及地，喪身刀下，饑餓而死；不分老幼都死於刀劍、饑荒，飽受憎恨、厭惡、詛咒和侮辱。
And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to enter into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed: in the land of Egypt shall they fall; they shall be consumed by the sword [and] by the famine, from the least even unto the greatest; they shall die by the sword and by the famine, and they shall be an execration, an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
13 我必以刀劍、饑荒和瘟疫懲罰住在埃及地的人，如懲罰耶路撒冷一樣，
And I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence;
14 使前往寄居埃及的猶大遺民，無一能幸免逃脫，返回他們所渴望回去居住的猶大地；除少數脫身者外，他們不會回來了。」
and none of the remnant of Judah, that have come into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, so as to return into the land of Judah, whither they have a desire to return to dwell there; for none shall return but such as shall escape.
15 於是凡知道自己的女人曾向外方神祇燒香的人，和一大群環立在旁的婦女，以及住在埃及地和帕特洛斯的全體人民，就答覆耶肋米亞說：「
Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assemblage, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
16 你奉上主的名對我們說的話，我們不願聽從；
[As for] the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jehovah, we will not hearken unto thee,
17 至於凡出自我們口中的話，我們必定實行，給天后焚香奠酒，如同我們、我們的祖先、君王及首領，在猶大城和耶路撒冷街上所做的一樣；那時我們都豐衣足食，安享太平，不見災禍。
but we will certainly do every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we had plenty of bread, and were well, and saw no evil.
18 可是，自從我們斷絕向天后獻香，不給她奠酒以來，我們就什麼也缺乏，死於刀劍和饑荒。
But since we left off burning incense to the queen of the heavens, and pouring out drink-offerings to her, we have wanted everything, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
19 至於我們的女人向天后焚香奠酒，又那能沒有我們男人的同意，依照她的形狀，給她備製祭餅，向她奠酒呢﹖」
And when we burned incense to the queen of the heavens and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make for her cakes to portray her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?
20 耶肋米亞便對全體人民，對答覆他的男人和婦女以及所有的人說：「
And Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people that had given him that answer, saying,
21 難道你們、你們的祖先、君王、首領和地方上的人民，在猶大城和耶路冷街上燒香的事，上主就不記得了，再也不懷念在心了嗎﹖
Is it not the incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes and the people of the land, that Jehovah remembered, and that came into his mind?
22 上主再也不能容忍你們邪惡的行為，和你們做的可惡的事，為此你們的土地變成了荒野，成了驚愕和詛咒的對象，無人居住，有如今日：
And Jehovah could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, [and] because of the abominations that ye had committed; and your land is become a waste, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as at this day.
23 就因為你們燒香得罪了上主，不聽上主的勸告，不覆行他的法律、誡命和法令，纔給你們招來了像今日這樣的災禍。」
Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against Jehovah, and have not hearkened unto the voice of Jehovah, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil hath come upon you, as at this day.
24 以後，耶肋米亞又對全體人民和全體婦女說：「凡在埃及境內的猶大人，請聽上主的話!
And Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt.
25 萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：你們和你們的女人都要親手做你們親口說的事；你們說：我們決意實踐我們許的誓願，向天后燒香奠酒。你們就實踐你們的誓願，舉行你們的奠祭罷!
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hands, saying, We will certainly perform our vows which we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her. Ye will certainly establish your vows, and entirely perform your vows.
26 但是，所有住在埃及地的猶大人，你們且聽上主的話：看，我以我偉大的名起誓──上主說：在埃及全地任何猶大人的口中，不會再呼號我名說：我主上主永在!
Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Jehovah, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, [As] the Lord Jehovah liveth.
27 看，我注視他們，是為降災，不是為賜福，使在埃及地所有的猶大人，都死於刀劍饑荒，徹底消滅；
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
28 即使有逃脫刀劍，從埃及地回到猶大的人，為數也寥寥無幾。到埃及地來寄居的全體猶大遺民，終於會知道：誰的話要應驗，是我的還是他們的。
And they that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, a very small company; and all the remnant of Judah, that have come into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs.
29 這為你們是個徵兆──上主的斷語──就在這地方我要懲罰你們，叫你們知道：我對你們要降災的話，必要絕對應驗。
And this shall be the sign unto you, saith Jehovah, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall certainly stand against you for evil:
30 上主這樣說：看，我必將埃及王法郎曷斐辣交在他仇人和圖謀他性命的人手中，就如我曾將猶大王漆德克雅，交在他仇人和圖謀他性命的巴比倫王拿步高的手中一樣。」
thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will give Pharaoh-Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
