耶利米書 22
1 耶和華如此說：「你下到猶大王的宮中，在那裏說這話，
This is another message that Yahweh gave [to me]: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and say this to him:
2 說：『坐大衛寶座的猶大王啊，你和你的臣僕，並進入城門的百姓，都當聽耶和華的話。
‘You are the king of Judah. You are the ruler [MTY], like King David was. You and your officials and your people must listen
3 耶和華如此說：你們要施行公平和公義，拯救被搶奪的脫離欺壓人的手，不可虧負寄居的和孤兒寡婦，不可以強暴待他們，在這地方也不可流無辜人的血。
to what Yahweh says: “Act fairly and justly. Do what is right. Help those who have been robbed. Rescue people from those who oppress them. Stop doing evil things. Do not mistreat those who have come here from other countries, and do not mistreat orphans and widows. Stop murdering here [in Jerusalem] [MTY] those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong).
4 你們若認真行這事，就必有坐大衛寶座的君王和他的臣僕百姓，或坐車或騎馬，從這城的各門進入。
If you obey those commands carefully, there will [always] be some descendant of King David who will be ruling here [MTY] [in Jerusalem]. The king and his officials and other people will ride through the gates of the city in chariots and on horses.
5 你們若不聽這些話，耶和華說：我指着自己起誓，這城必變為荒場。』
But if you refuse to pay attention to those commands, I, Yahweh, solemnly declare, with myself [MTY] as a witness, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.”’”
6 耶和華論到猶大王的家如此說： 我看你如基列， 如黎巴嫩頂； 然而，我必使你變為曠野， 為無人居住的城邑。
And this is what Yahweh says about the king’s palace: “[I like] this palace, like I like the forests in the Gilead [region] and the mountains in Lebanon. But I will cause this palace to become a desert, a place that no one lives in.
7 我要預備行毀滅的人， 各拿器械攻擊你； 他們要砍下你佳美的香柏樹， 扔在火中。
I will summon enemy troops who will destroy this palace; each of their soldiers will use his own tools [to wreck the building]. They will cut into pieces the beautiful big cedar [beams] and throw them into a fire.”
8 「許多國的民要經過這城，各人對鄰舍說：『耶和華為何向這大城如此行呢？』
People from many nations will walk past [the ruins of] this city and say to each other, “Why did Yahweh destroy this city that was [very] great?”
9 他們必回答說：『是因離棄了耶和華－他們上帝的約，事奉敬拜別神。』」
And [other] people will reply, “[He did it] because his people stopped obeying the agreement that they had made with Yahweh their God. Instead, they worshiped [DOU] other gods.”
10 不要為死人哭號； 不要為他悲傷， 卻要為離家出外的人大大哭號； 因為他不得再回來， 也不得再見他的本國。
[Yahweh also says, ] “Do not mourn for King [Josiah]; do not cry because he has died. Instead, mourn for [King Jehoahaz, his son], [because] he will be captured and taken to another country, and he will never return to see his own country, [Judah], again.”
11 因為耶和華論到從這地方出去的猶大王約西亞的兒子沙龍，就是接續他父親約西亞作王的，這樣說：「他必不得再回到這裏來，
Jehoahaz became king after his father, King Josiah, [died], but Jehoahaz indeed was captured and taken [to Babylonia]. And this is what Yahweh says about him: “He also will never return [to Judah].
12 卻要死在被擄去的地方，必不得再見這地。」
He will die in that far-away country and will never see his own country again.”
13 那行不義蓋房、行不公造樓、 白白使用人的手工不給工價的有禍了！
[And Yahweh said to me], “Terrible things will happen to [King Jehoahaz’s brother, King Jehoiakim]. He unjustly [forced men to] build his palace. The rooms on the upper level were built [by men who were forced] unjustly [to do that work]; he forced his neighbors to work for nothing; he did not pay them anything.
14 他說：我要為自己蓋廣大的房、寬敞的樓， 為自己開窗戶。 這樓房的護牆板是香柏木的， 樓房是丹色油漆的。
He said, ‘I will [force my workers to] build a huge beautiful palace with very large rooms and [many] windows. They will cover the walls with [fragrant] cedar panels/timber and paint them bright red.’”
15 難道你作王是在乎造香柏木樓房爭勝嗎？ 你的父親豈不是也吃也喝、 也施行公平和公義嗎？ 那時他得了福樂。
But it is certainly not [RHQ] having a beautiful cedar palace that causes a king to be great! Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, also had [RHQ] plenty of things to eat and drink. But Josiah always did things that are right and just, and that is why God blessed him.
16 他為困苦和窮乏人伸冤， 那時就得了福樂。 認識我不在乎此嗎？ 這是耶和華說的。
Josiah acted justly/fairly and helped poor and needy people, so things went well for him. Yahweh says, “That is [RHQ] the way a person should behave who knows me.
17 惟有你的眼和你的心專顧貪婪， 流無辜人的血， 行欺壓和強暴。
But [Jehoiakim], you [MTY] are greedy and desire only to obtain things by acting dishonestly. You murder [MTY] innocent people, you oppress poor people, and you treat people cruelly and violently.”
18 所以，耶和華論到猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬如此說： 人必不為他舉哀說： 哀哉！我的哥哥； 或說：哀哉！我的姊姊； 也不為他舉哀說： 哀哉！我的主； 或說：哀哉！我主的榮華。
Therefore, this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim, the son of King Josiah: “[When he dies], people will not mourn for him. They will not say to each other, ‘It is very sad; we are so sorry!’ The people whom he ruled will not mourn for him, saying, ‘We are sad that our king is dead; we are so sorry that the wonderful things [that happened while he was king are ended].’
19 他被埋葬，好像埋驢一樣， 要拉出去扔在耶路撒冷的城門之外。
[When he dies, people will do to] his corpse what they do to a dead donkey; his [corpse] will be dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
20 你要上黎巴嫩哀號， 在巴珊揚聲， 從亞巴琳哀號， 因為你所親愛的都毀滅了。
[You people of Judah], go to [the mountains in] Lebanon and weep, shout in the [mountains of the] Bashan [region], cry out in [the mountains of] Moab, because all your friends [in those areas] have been destroyed.
21 你興盛的時候，我對你說話； 你卻說：我不聽。 你自幼年以來總是這樣， 不聽從我的話。
When you were prosperous, I warned you, but you replied, ‘We will not pay attention [to what you say].’ You have been acting like that since you were young; you have never obeyed me.
22 你的牧人要被風吞吃， 你所親愛的必被擄去； 那時你必因你一切的惡抱愧蒙羞。
[So, now I will punish] all your leaders; [it will be as though] they have been blown away by the wind. They will be captured [by your enemies] and taken to another country. When that happens, you will [truly] be ashamed and disgraced because of all the wicked things [that you have done].
23 你這住黎巴嫩、在香柏樹上搭窩的， 有痛苦臨到你， 好像疼痛臨到產難的婦人， 那時你何等可憐！
[Now, your king] enjoys living in the cedar rooms in his palace, but [soon] he will be punished, and then he will groan like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby.”
24 耶和華說：「猶大王約雅敬的兒子哥尼雅，雖是我右手上帶印的戒指，我憑我的永生起誓，也必將你從其上摘下來，
Yahweh says this: “Jehoiachin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, as surely as I am alive, [I will punish you]. Even if you were the ring on my finger that shows that I am the king, I would pull you off.
25 並且我必將你交給尋索你命的人和你所懼怕的人手中，就是巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒和迦勒底人的手中。
You are afraid of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his huge army, [because] they are wanting to kill you. I will enable them to capture you.
26 我也必將你和生你的母親趕到別國，並不是你們生的地方；你們必死在那裏，
I will expel you and your mother [from this land], and you will be taken to another country. Neither of you was born there, but you will both die there.
27 但心中甚想歸回之地，必不得歸回。」
You will never return to this land that you will very much desire to return to.”
28 哥尼雅這人是被輕看、破壞的器皿嗎？ 是無人喜愛的器皿嗎？ 他和他的後裔為何被趕到不認識之地呢？
[Someone said, ] “Jehoiachin will be [RHQ] like a broken pot that is despised and which no one wants. He and his children will be (exiled/forced to go) to a foreign land.
29 地啊，地啊，地啊，當聽耶和華的話！
[I want] the people in this land to listen carefully to this message from Yahweh.”
30 耶和華如此說： 要寫明這人算為無子， 是平生不得亨通的； 因為他後裔中再無一人得亨通， 能坐在大衛的寶座上治理猶大。
This is what Yahweh says: “[In the record about the kings of Judah, ] write down that [it will be as though] this man [Jehoiachin] had no children, and that he has not been successful during his life, because none of his children/descendants will [ever] become king to rule over [the people of] Judah.”
