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。
After Jehoiakim died, [his son Jehoiachin became king for only three months, after which] King Josiah’s son Zedekiah became the King of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, appointed him to be the new king.
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 King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
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, [one day] King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, who was the son of Maaseiah, to me. They requested me to pray to Yahweh our God for our [nation].
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 that time I had not yet been put in prison, so I could come and go wherever and whenever I wanted to, [without being hindered].
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。
[At that time], the army of [Hophra], the King of Egypt, came [to the southern border of Judah]. When the army of Babylonia heard about that, they stopped surrounding Jerusalem and left there [to fight against the army from Egypt].
6 耶和华的话临到先知耶利米说：
Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
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。
“[I], Yahweh, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], say this: ‘The King of Judah has sent [messengers] to you to ask me [what is going to happen]. Tell the king that even though the army of the King of Egypt came to help him, they are about to return to Egypt.
8 迦勒底人必再来攻打这城，并要攻取，用火焚烧。
Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
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。
[So], this is what I say [to you Israelis]: ‘You should not deceive yourselves, thinking that the army from Babylonia has gone and will not return. That is not true.
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。’”
And even if your soldiers could destroy almost all of the soldiers from Babylonia who are attacking you, and allow only a few of them who were wounded to remain alive in their tents, they would come out [of their tents] and burn this city completely!”’”
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 army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
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。
I started to leave the city. I intended to go to the area [where the descendants of] Benjamin live, in order to take possession of my share of the property from my family.
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！”
But as I was walking out the Benjamin Gate, a guard seized me and said, “You are deserting [us and going] to [the soldiers from] Babylonia!” The man who seized me was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.
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。
But I [protested and] said, “That is not true! I was not intending to do that!” But Irijah would not pay attention to what I said. He took me to the [king’s] officials.
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。
They were very angry with me. They [commanded the guards to] beat me and [then to] put me in the house where Jonathan the king’s secretary stayed. They had changed Jonathan’s house to make it become a prison.
16 耶利米来到狱中，进入牢房，在那里囚了多日。
They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
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。”
Then King Zedekiah secretly sent a servant to me, who took me to the palace. There the king asked me, “Do you have any messages from Yahweh?” I replied, “Yes, [the message is that] you will 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 I asked the king, “What crime have I committed [RHQ] against you or against your officials or against the Israeli people, with the result that you have [commanded that] I be put in a 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？
Your prophets predicted that the army of the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land. Why were [RHQ] [their messages] not fulfilled?
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。”
Your majesty, I plead with you to listen to me. Do not send me back to the dungeon/cell in the house of Jonathan your secretary, because [if you do that, ] I will 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。
So King Zedekiah commanded that [I not be sent back to the prison cell. Instead, ] I was allowed to be watched by the guards in the courtyard [of the palace]. [The king] also [commanded that they should] bring me a loaf of fresh bread every day, until there was no bread left in the city. So [they put me] in that courtyard and I remained there.
