< 耶利米书 38 >
1 玛坦的儿子示法提雅、巴施户珥的儿子基大利、示利米雅的儿子犹甲、玛基雅的儿子巴施户珥听见耶利米对众人所说的话,说:
And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking to all the people, saying,
2 “耶和华如此说:住在这城里的必遭刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫而死;但出去归降迦勒底人的必得存活,就是以自己命为掠物的,必得存活。
“Thus said YHWH: He who is remaining in this city dies, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth to the Chaldeans lives, and his soul has been to him for a prey, and he lives.
3 耶和华如此说:这城必要交在巴比伦王军队的手中,他必攻取这城。”
Thus said YHWH: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he has captured it.”
4 于是首领对王说:“求你将这人治死;因他向城里剩下的兵丁和众民说这样的话,使他们的手发软。这人不是求这百姓得平安,乃是叫他们受灾祸。”
And the heads say to the king, “Now let this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its calamity.”
5 西底家王说:“他在你们手中,无论何事,王也不能与你们反对。”
And King Zedekiah says, “Behold, he [is] in your hand: for the king is not able [to do] anything against you.”
6 他们就拿住耶利米,下在哈米勒的儿子玛基雅的牢狱里;那牢狱在护卫兵的院中。他们用绳子将耶利米系下去。牢狱里没有水,只有淤泥,耶利米就陷在淤泥中。
And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that [is] in the court of the prison, and they send Jeremiah down with cords; and there is no water in the pit, but mire, and Jeremiah sinks in the mire.
7 在王宫的太监古实人以伯·米勒,听见他们将耶利米下了牢狱(那时王坐在便雅悯门口),
And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who [is] in the king’s house, hears that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
and Ebed-Melech goes forth from the king’s house, and speaks to the king, saying,
9 “主—我的王啊,这些人向先知耶利米一味地行恶,将他下在牢狱中;他在那里必因饥饿而死,因为城中再没有粮食。”
“My lord, O king, these men have done evil [in] all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dies in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10 王就吩咐古实人以伯·米勒说:“你从这里带领三十人,趁着先知耶利米未死以前,将他从牢狱中提上来。”
And the king commands Ebed-Melech the Cushite, saying, “Take with you thirty men from here, and you have brought up Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dies.”
11 于是以伯·米勒带领这些人同去,进入王宫,到库房以下,从那里取了些碎布和破烂的衣服,用绳子缒下牢狱去到耶利米那里。
And Ebed-Melech takes the men with him, and enters the house of the king, to the place of the treasury, and takes there worn-out shreds of cloth, and worn-out rags, and sends them by cords into the pit to Jeremiah.
12 古实人以伯·米勒对耶利米说:“你用这些碎布和破烂的衣服放在绳子上,垫你的胳肢窝。”耶利米就照样行了。
And Ebed-Melech the Cushite says to Jeremiah, “Now put the worn-out pieces of cloth and rags under your arms, at the place of the cords,” and Jeremiah does so,
13 这样,他们用绳子将耶利米从牢狱里拉上来。耶利米仍在护卫兵的院中。
and they draw Jeremiah out with cords, and bring him up out of the pit, and Jeremiah dwells in the court of the prison.
14 西底家王打发人带领先知耶利米,进耶和华殿中第三门里见王。王就对耶利米说:“我要问你一件事,你丝毫不可向我隐瞒。”
And King Zedekiah sends, and takes Jeremiah the prophet to him, to the third entrance that [is] in the house of YHWH, and the king says to Jeremiah, “I am asking you something, do not hide anything from me.”
15 耶利米对西底家说:“我若告诉你,你岂不定要杀我吗?我若劝戒你,你必不听从我。”
And Jeremiah says to Zedekiah, “When I declare [it] to you, do you not surely put me to death? And when I counsel you, you do not listen to me.”
16 西底家王就私下向耶利米说:“我指着那造我们生命之永生的耶和华起誓:我必不杀你,也不将你交在寻索你命的人手中。”
And King Zedekiah swears to Jeremiah in secret, saying, “YHWH lives, He who made this soul for us, I do not put you to death, nor give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your soul.”
17 耶利米对西底家说:“耶和华—万军之 神、以色列的 神如此说:你若出去归降巴比伦王的首领,你的命就必存活,这城也不致被火焚烧,你和你的全家都必存活。
And Jeremiah says to Zedekiah, “Thus said YHWH, God of Hosts, God of Israel: If you certainly go forth to the heads of the king of Babylon, then your soul has lived, and this city is not burned with fire, indeed, you have lived, you and your house.
18 你若不出去归降巴比伦王的首领,这城必交在迦勒底人手中。他们必用火焚烧,你也不得脱离他们的手。”
And if you do not go forth to the heads of the king of Babylon, then this city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they have burned it with fire, and you do not escape from their hand.”
19 西底家王对耶利米说:“我怕那些投降迦勒底人的犹大人,恐怕迦勒底人将我交在他们手中,他们戏弄我。”
And King Zedekiah says to Jeremiah, “I am fearing the Jews who have fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they have insulted me.”
20 耶利米说:“迦勒底人必不将你交出。求你听从我对你所说耶和华的话,这样你必得好处,你的命也必存活。
And Jeremiah says, “They do not give you up; please listen to the voice of YHWH, to that which I am speaking to you, and it is well for you, and your soul lives.
And if you are refusing to go forth, this [is] the thing that YHWH has shown me:
22 犹大王宫里所剩的妇女必都带到巴比伦王的首领那里。这些妇女必说: 你知己的朋友催逼你, 胜过你; 见你的脚陷入淤泥中, 就转身退后了。
That, behold, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah are brought forth to the heads of the king of Babylon, and behold, they are saying: Persuaded you, and prevailed against you, Have your allies, Your feet have sunk into mire, They have been turned backward.
23 “人必将你的后妃和你的儿女带到迦勒底人那里;你也不得脱离他们的手,必被巴比伦王的手捉住;你也必使这城被火焚烧。”
And all your wives and your sons are brought forth to the Chaldeans, and you do not escape from their hand, for you are caught by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city is burned with fire.”
24 西底家对耶利米说:“不要使人知道这些话,你就不至于死。
And Zedekiah says to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you do not die;
25 首领若听见了我与你说话,就来见你,问你说:‘你对王说什么话不要向我们隐瞒,我们就不杀你。王向你说什么话也要告诉我们。’
and when the heads hear that I have spoken with you, and they have come to you, and have said to you, Now declare to us what you spoke to the king, do not hide [it] from us, and we do not put you to death, and what the king spoke to you,
26 你就对他们说:‘我在王面前恳求不要叫我回到约拿单的房屋死在那里。’”
then you have said to them, I am causing my supplication to fall before the king, not to cause me to return to the house of Jonathan, to die there.”
27 随后众首领来见耶利米,问他,他就照王所吩咐的一切话回答他们。他们不再与他说话,因为事情没有泄漏。
And all the heads come to Jeremiah, and ask him, and he declares to them according to all these words that the king commanded, and they keep silent from him, for the matter was not heard;
28 于是耶利米仍在护卫兵的院中,直到耶路撒冷被攻取的日子。
and Jeremiah dwells in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem has been captured, and he was [there] when Jerusalem was captured.