耶利米书 44
1 有临到耶利米的话，论及一切住在埃及地的犹大人，就是住在密夺、答比匿、挪弗、巴忒罗境内的犹大人，说：
This is the message that came to Jeremiah regarding all the people of Judah living in Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt.
2 “万军之耶和华—以色列的 神如此说：我所降与耶路撒冷和犹大各城的一切灾祸你们都看见了。那些城邑今日荒凉，无人居住；
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the complete disaster that I brought down on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. You can see how today they're ruined and abandoned
3 这是因居民所行的恶，去烧香事奉别神，就是他们和你们，并你们列祖所不认识的神，惹我发怒。
because of the evil they did. They made me angry by burning incense and serving other gods that they hadn't ever known, and you and your forefathers hadn't known either.
4 我从早起来差遣我的仆人众先知去说，你们切不要行我所厌恶这可憎之事。
I sent you all my servants the prophets time and again to warn you: “Don't do these offensive things that I hate.”
5 他们却不听从，不侧耳而听，不转离恶事，仍向别神烧香。
But you refused to listen or to pay attention. You didn't stop their wickedness or burning incense in worship of other gods.
6 因此，我的怒气和忿怒都倒出来，在犹大城邑中和耶路撒冷的街市上，如火着起，以致都荒废凄凉，正如今日一样。
That's why my furious anger poured out and set fire to the towns of Judah and burned in the streets of Jerusalem, making them the abandoned ruins they still are today.
7 现在耶和华—万军之 神、以色列的 神如此说：你们为何作这大恶自害己命，使你们的男人、妇女、婴孩，和吃奶的都从犹大中剪除、不留一人呢？
So this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why are you hurting yourselves so badly by removing from Judah every man, woman, child, infant, so you don't have anyone left?
8 就是因你们手所做的，在所去寄居的埃及地向别神烧香惹我发怒，使你们被剪除，在天下万国中令人咒诅羞辱。
Why are you making me angry by what you do, burning incense to other gods in Egypt where you have come to live? Because if this you will be destroyed, and will you will become a curse word, an expression of condemnation among all the nations on earth.
9 你们列祖的恶行，犹大列王和他们后妃的恶行，你们自己和你们妻子的恶行，就是在犹大地、耶路撒冷街上所行的，你们都忘了吗？
Have you forgotten the evil of your forefathers and the evil of the kings of Judah and the evil of their wives, as well as your own evil and the evil your wives, all practiced in the country of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 到如今还没有懊悔，没有惧怕，没有遵行我在你们和你们列祖面前所设立的法度律例。
Even up to now you haven't shown any remorse or reverence. You haven't followed my rules and regulations I gave you and your forefathers.
11 “所以万军之耶和华—以色列的 神如此说：我必向你们变脸降灾，以致剪除犹大众人。
So this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster and to wipe out everyone from Judah.
12 那定意进入埃及地、在那里寄居的，就是所剩下的犹大人，我必使他们尽都灭绝，必在埃及地仆倒，必因刀剑饥荒灭绝；从最小的到至大的都必遭刀剑饥荒而死，以致令人辱骂、惊骇、咒诅、羞辱。
I'm going to destroy you who are left who decided to go to Egypt to live there. You will die there, killed by the sword or by famine. Whoever you are, from the least to the most important, you're going to die by sword or by famine; and you will become a curse word, something horrible, an insult, an expression of condemnation.
13 我怎样用刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫刑罚耶路撒冷，也必照样刑罚那些住在埃及地的犹大人；
I'm going to punish you who live in Egypt like I punished Jerusalem, by war and famine and disease.
14 甚至那进入埃及地寄居的，就是所剩下的犹大人，都不得逃脱，也不得存留归回犹大地。他们心中甚想归回居住之地；除了逃脱的以外，一个都不能归回。”
Nobody who is left from Judah who has gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the country of Judah. You long to go back and live there, but nobody will return except a few stragglers.
15 那些住在埃及地巴忒罗知道自己妻子向别神烧香的，与旁边站立的众妇女，聚集成群，回答耶利米说：
All the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women who were there, a great crowd of people, those living in Egypt and Upper Egypt all told Jeremiah,
16 “论到你奉耶和华的名向我们所说的话，我们必不听从。
“Even though you say this message is from the Lord, we're not going to listen to you”
17 我们定要成就我们口中所出的一切话，向天后烧香、浇奠祭，按着我们与我们列祖、君王、首领在犹大的城邑中和耶路撒冷的街市上素常所行的一样；因为那时我们吃饱饭、享福乐，并不见灾祸。
In fact we're going to do everything we said we would. We'll burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to worship her as we did before, just like our fathers, our kings, and our officials who did the same things in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Back then we had plenty of food and we were well off and nothing bad happened to us.
18 自从我们停止向天后烧香、浇奠祭，我们倒缺乏一切，又因刀剑饥荒灭绝。”
But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to worship her, we've lost everything and have been dying as a result of war and famine.
19 妇女说：“我们向天后烧香、浇奠祭，做天后像的饼供奉她，向她浇奠祭，是外乎我们的丈夫吗？”
“On top of that,” the women added, “when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to worship her, did we do this without our husbands knowing about it, that we baked cakes stamped with her image and poured out drink offerings to worship her?”
20 耶利米对一切那样回答他的男人妇女说：
Jeremiah replied to all the people, both men and women, who were responding to him,
21 “你们与你们列祖、君王、首领，并国内的百姓，在犹大城邑中和耶路撒冷街市上所烧的香，耶和华岂不记念，心中岂不思想吗？
“About that incense you burned to other gods in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, as well as your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the ordinary people—don't you think the Lord wouldn't remember and think about it?
22 耶和华因你们所作的恶、所行可憎的事，不能再容忍，所以你们的地荒凉，令人惊骇咒诅，无人居住，正如今日一样。
The Lord couldn't take it anymore—the evil things you did and your disgusting acts—so your country was turned into an uninhabited wasteland, a place of horror and a curse word to others, as it still is today.
23 你们烧香，得罪耶和华，没有听从他的话，没有遵行他的律法、条例、法度，所以你们遭遇这灾祸，正如今日一样。”
As you can see today, the disaster you've experienced happened because you burned incense to other gods and sinned against the Lord, refusing to listen to the Lord or to follow his instructions, his rules, and his regulations.”
24 耶利米又对众民和众妇女说：“你们在埃及地的一切犹大人当听耶和华的话。
Then Jeremiah told everyone, including all the women, “Listen to the Lord's message, all you people from Judah living here in Egypt.
25 万军之耶和华—以色列的 神如此说：你们和你们的妻都口中说、手里做，说：‘我们定要偿还所许的愿，向天后烧香、浇奠祭。’现在你们只管坚定所许的愿而偿还吧！
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives, you've said what you're going to do, and you've done what you said! You said, ‘We're going to keep our promise to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings to worship her.’ So go ahead! Do what you've said! Keep your promises!
26 所以你们住在埃及地的一切犹大人当听耶和华的话。耶和华说：我指着我的大名起誓，在埃及全地，我的名不再被犹大一个人的口称呼说：‘我指着主—永生的耶和华起誓。’
But even so, listen to what the Lord says, all you people from Judah living here in Egypt: I guarantee by all that I am, says the Lord, that none of you living in the Egypt will ever use my name or swear, ‘As the Lord God lives.’
27 我向他们留意降祸不降福；在埃及地的一切犹大人必因刀剑、饥荒所灭，直到灭尽。
I will take care of them in the bad sense, and not in the good sense. All the people from Judah who are in Egypt will die by sword or famine, until they are wiped out.
28 脱离刀剑、从埃及地归回犹大地的人数很少；那进入埃及地要在那里寄居的，就是所剩下的犹大人，必知道是谁的话立得住，是我的话呢？是他们的话呢？
Those who manage to avoid being killed by the sword will go back to Judah from Egypt. But there will only be a few of them, and then all who were left from Judah and went to live in Egypt will know who's telling the truth—me or them!
29 耶和华说：我在这地方刑罚你们，必有预兆，使你们知道我降祸与你们的话必要立得住。
This is your sign to prove that I'm going to punish you here, declares the Lord, so that you'll know for certain that my threats against you will really happen.
30 耶和华如此说：我必将埃及王法老合弗拉交在他仇敌和寻索其命的人手中，像我将犹大王西底家交在他仇敌和寻索其命的巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒手中一样。”
This is what the Lord says: Look! I'm going to hand over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to his enemies who are trying to kill him, in the same way that I handed over Zedekiah king of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who was trying to kill him.”
