耶利米書 37
1 約西亞的兒子西底家代替約雅敬的兒子哥尼雅為王，是巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒立在猶大地作王的。
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon replaced Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim with Zedekiah son of Josiah as the ruling king of Judah.
2 但西底家和他的臣僕，並國中的百姓，都不聽從耶和華藉先知耶利米所說的話。
But Zedekiah and his officers and everyone else in the country refused to obey what the Lord had said through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 西底家王打發示利米雅的兒子猶甲和祭司瑪西雅的兒子西番雅去見先知耶利米，說：「求你為我們禱告耶和華－我們的上帝。」
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 那時耶利米在民中出入，因為他們還沒有把他囚在監裏。
(At this time Jeremiah could come and go freely, because as yet they hadn't put him in prison.)
5 法老的軍隊已經從埃及出來，那圍困耶路撒冷的迦勒底人聽見他們的風聲，就拔營離開耶路撒冷去了。
Pharaoh's army was advancing from Egypt, and when the Babylonian army heard about it, they moved away from Jerusalem.
6 耶和華的話臨到先知耶利米說：
Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 「耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：猶大王打發你們來求問我，你們要如此對他說：『那出來幫助你們法老的軍隊必回埃及本國去。
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 迦勒底人必再來攻打這城，並要攻取，用火焚燒。
Then the Babylonians will return and attack Jerusalem. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 耶和華如此說：你們不要自欺說「迦勒底人必定離開我們」，因為他們必不離開。
This is what the Lord says: Don't fool yourselves by saying, “The Babylonians are gone for good,” because they're not!
10 你們即便殺敗了與你們爭戰的迦勒底全軍，但剩下受傷的人也必各人從帳棚裏起來，用火焚燒這城。』」
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 迦勒底的軍隊因怕法老的軍隊，拔營離開耶路撒冷的時候，
When the Babylonian army moved away from Jerusalem because of the threat of Pharaoh's army,
12 耶利米就雜在民中出離耶路撒冷，要往便雅憫地去，在那裏得自己的地業。
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 他到了便雅憫門那裏，有守門官名叫伊利雅，是哈拿尼亞的孫子、示利米雅的兒子，他就拿住先知耶利米，說：「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 耶利米說：「你這是謊話，我並不是投降迦勒底人。」伊利雅不聽他的話，就拿住他，解到首領那裏。
“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 首領惱怒耶利米，就打了他，將他囚在文士約拿單的房屋中，因為他們以這房屋當作監牢。
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 耶利米來到獄中，進入牢房，在那裏囚了多日。
Jeremiah was placed in a cell in the underground dungeon and was kept there for a long time.
17 西底家王打發人提出他來，在自己的宮內私下問他說：「從耶和華有甚麼話臨到沒有？」耶利米說：「有！」又說：「你必交在巴比倫王手中。」
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 耶利米又對西底家王說：「我在甚麼事上得罪你，或你的臣僕，或這百姓，你竟將我囚在監裏呢？
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 對你們預言巴比倫王必不來攻擊你們和這地的先知，現今在哪裏呢？
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，求你現在垂聽，准我在你面前的懇求：不要使我回到文士約拿單的房屋中，免得我死在那裏。」
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 於是，西底家王下令，他們就把耶利米交在護衛兵的院中，每天從餅舖街取一個餅給他，直到城中的餅用盡了。這樣，耶利米仍在護衛兵的院中。
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.
