耶利米书 37
1 约西亚的儿子西底家代替约雅敬的儿子哥尼雅为王，是巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒立在犹大地作王的。
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
2 但西底家和他的臣仆，并国中的百姓，都不听从耶和华借先知耶利米所说的话。
But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 西底家王打发示利米雅的儿子犹甲和祭司玛西雅的儿子西番雅去见先知耶利米，说：“求你为我们祷告耶和华—我们的 神。”
However, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us!”
4 那时耶利米在民中出入，因为他们还没有把他囚在监里。
(At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
5 法老的军队已经从埃及出来，那围困耶路撒冷的迦勒底人听见他们的风声，就拔营离开耶路撒冷去了。
Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
6 耶和华的话临到先知耶利米说：
Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 “耶和华—以色列的 神如此说：犹大王打发你们来求问我，你们要如此对他说：‘那出来帮助你们法老的军队必回埃及本国去。
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, instructs you to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask me for help: Look! Pharaoh's army, which set out to help you, is going to return home to Egypt.
8 迦勒底人必再来攻打这城，并要攻取，用火焚烧。
Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 耶和华如此说：你们不要自欺说“迦勒底人必定离开我们”，因为他们必不离开。
This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
10 你们即便杀败了与你们争战的迦勒底全军，但剩下受伤的人也必各人从帐棚里起来，用火焚烧这城。’”
In fact, even if you were able to kill the whole Babylonian army attacking you, leaving only wounded men in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.
11 迦勒底的军队因怕法老的军队，拔营离开耶路撒冷的时候，
When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
12 耶利米就杂在民中出离耶路撒冷，要往便雅悯地去，在那里得自己的地业。
Jeremiah was on his way out of Jerusalem to go to his home in the territory of Benjamin to claim his share of his family's property.
13 他到了便雅悯门那里，有守门官名叫伊利雅，是哈拿尼亚的孙子、示利米雅的儿子，他就拿住先知耶利米，说：“你是投降迦勒底人哪！”
However, when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the guard captain, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, arrested him, saying, “You're defecting to the Babylonians!”
14 耶利米说：“你这是谎话，我并不是投降迦勒底人。”伊利雅不听他的话，就拿住他，解到首领那里。
“That's not true,” Jeremiah replied. “I'm not defecting to the Babylonians!” But Irijah refused to listen to him. He arrested Jeremiah and took him before the officers.
15 首领恼怒耶利米，就打了他，将他囚在文士约拿单的房屋中，因为他们以这房屋当作监牢。
The officers were furious with Jeremiah. They had him beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been turned into a prison.
16 耶利米来到狱中，进入牢房，在那里囚了多日。
Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
17 西底家王打发人提出他来，在自己的宫内私下问他说：“从耶和华有什么话临到没有？”耶利米说：“有！”又说：“你必交在巴比伦王手中。”
Some while later King Zedekiah secretly sent for him and had him brought to the royal palace where he asked, “Is there a message from Lord for me?” “Yes there is,” Jeremiah replied. “You are going to be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18 耶利米又对西底家王说：“我在什么事上得罪你，或你的臣仆，或这百姓，你竟将我囚在监里呢？
Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or these people, for you to put me in prison?
19 对你们预言巴比伦王必不来攻击你们和这地的先知，现今在哪里呢？
Where are your prophets now, the ones who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon won't come and attack you and this country’?
20 主—我的王啊，求你现在垂听，准我在你面前的恳求：不要使我回到文士约拿单的房屋中，免得我死在那里。”
Now please listen to me, my lord the king, and respond positively to my request. Don't send me back to prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, otherwise I'll die there.”
21 于是，西底家王下令，他们就把耶利米交在护卫兵的院中，每天从饼铺街取一个饼给他，直到城中的饼用尽了。这样，耶利米仍在护卫兵的院中。
King Zedekiah gave the order for Jeremiah to be held in the guard's courtyard and be provided with a loaf of bread every day from a bakery until there was no bread left in the city. So Jeremiah stayed in the guard's courtyard.
