Jeremiah 44
1 The word which came to Jeremiah about all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt, in Migdol and at Tahpanhes and at Noph and in the country of Pathros, saying,
以下是關於住在埃及地，住在米革多耳，塔黑培乃斯、諾夫和帕特洛斯地的一切猶太人，傳給耶肋米亞的話：「
2 The Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: You have seen all the evil which I have sent on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah; and now, this day they are waste and unpeopled;
萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：你們看見了我對耶路撒冷和猶大各城召來的一切災禍，看，今日已成為無人居住的曠野。
3 Because of the evil which they have done, moving me to wrath by burning perfumes in worship to other gods, who were not their gods or yours or the gods of their fathers.
這是因為他們做了惹我動怒的惡事，向他們、你們和你們的祖先從不認識的外方神祇焚香敬拜；
4 And I sent all my servants the prophets to you, getting up early and sending them, saying, Do not do this disgusting thing which is hated by me.
雖然我早就不斷洽你們派遣我所有的先知僕人們說：你們切不可做我所憎恨的可惡之事!
5 But they gave no attention, and their ears were not open so that they might be turned from their evil-doing and from burning perfume to other gods.
他們卻沒有側耳聽從，沒有放棄他們向外方神祇焚香的惡習。
6 Because of this, my passion and my wrath were let loose, burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are waste and unpeopled as at this day.
於是我的憤恨如火發作，焚毀了猶大城市和耶路撒冷的街市，使她成為荒涼的曠野，有如今日。
7 So now, the Lord, the God of armies, the God of Israel, has said, Why are you doing this great evil against yourselves, causing every man and woman, little child and baby at the breast among you in Judah to be cut off till not one is still living;
現在，上主萬軍的天主以色列的天主這樣說：為什麼你們招來這樣大的災禍，加害自己，使你們中的男人、婦女、幼童、嬰兒，全由猶大滅絕，不給你們留下遺民﹖
8 Moving me to wrath with the work of your hands, burning perfumes to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to make a place for yourselves, so that you may become a curse and a name of shame among all the nations of the earth?
為什麼你們做惹我動怒的事，向你們來寄居的埃及地的外方神祇獻香，使你們自遭滅亡，成為普世萬民詛咒和恥笑的對象﹖
9 Have you no memory of the evil-doing of your fathers, and the evil-doing of the kings of Judah, and the evil-doing of their wives, and the evil which you yourselves have done, and the evil which your wives have done, in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
難道你們忘了你們的祖先、猶大君王和他們的妻妾、你們自己和你們的女人，在猶大地和耶路撒冷街上犯的種種罪惡﹖
10 Even to this day their hearts are not broken, and they have no fear, and have not gone in the way of my law or of my rules which I gave to you and to your fathers.
他們直到今日尚不後悔，也不畏懼，更不履行我給你們和你們的祖先頒布的法律和誡命。
11 So this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: See, my face will be turned against you for evil, for the cutting off of all Judah;
為此，萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：看，我面向你們，是為降災，消滅整個猶大。
12 And I will take the last of Judah, whose minds are fixed on going into the land of Egypt and stopping there, and they will all come to their end, falling in the land of Egypt by the sword and by being short of food and by disease; death will overtake them, from the least to the greatest, death by the sword and by need of food: they will become an oath and a cause of wonder and a curse and a name of shame.
凡決意往埃及地去，要六那裏寄居的猶大遺民，我必要剷除，叫他們全死在埃及地，喪身刀下，饑餓而死；不分老幼都死於刀劍、饑荒，飽受憎恨、厭惡、詛咒和侮辱。
13 For I will send punishment on those who are living in the land of Egypt, as I have sent punishment on Jerusalem, by the sword and by need of food and by disease:
我必以刀劍、饑荒和瘟疫懲罰住在埃及地的人，如懲罰耶路撒冷一樣，
14 So that not one of the rest of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt and are living there, will get away or keep his life, to come back to the land of Judah where they are hoping to come back and be living again: for not one will come back, but only those who are able to get away.
使前往寄居埃及的猶大遺民，無一能幸免逃脫，返回他們所渴望回去居住的猶大地；除少數脫身者外，他們不會回來了。」
15 Then all the men who had knowledge that their wives were burning perfumes to other gods, and all the women who were present, a great meeting, answering Jeremiah, said,
於是凡知道自己的女人曾向外方神祇燒香的人，和一大群環立在旁的婦女，以及住在埃及地和帕特洛斯的全體人民，就答覆耶肋米亞說：「
16 As for the word which you have said to us in the name of the Lord, we will not give ear to you.
你奉上主的名對我們說的話，我們不願聽從；
17 But we will certainly do every word which has gone out of our mouths, burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her as we did, we and our fathers and our kings and our rulers, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then we had food enough and did well and saw no evil.
至於凡出自我們口中的話，我們必定實行，給天后焚香奠酒，如同我們、我們的祖先、君王及首領，在猶大城和耶路撒冷街上所做的一樣；那時我們都豐衣足食，安享太平，不見災禍。
18 But from the time when we gave up burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, we have been in need of all things, and have been wasted by the sword and by need of food.
可是，自從我們斷絕向天后獻香，不給她奠酒以來，我們就什麼也缺乏，死於刀劍和饑荒。
19 And the women said, When we were burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes in her image and give her our drink offerings without the knowledge of our husbands?
至於我們的女人向天后焚香奠酒，又那能沒有我們男人的同意，依照她的形狀，給她備製祭餅，向她奠酒呢﹖」
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women and all the people who had given him that answer,
耶肋米亞便對全體人民，對答覆他的男人和婦女以及所有的人說：「
21 The perfumes which you have been burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers and your kings and your rulers and the people of the land, had the Lord no memory of them, and did he not keep them in mind?
難道你們、你們的祖先、君王、首領和地方上的人民，在猶大城和耶路冷街上燒香的事，上主就不記得了，再也不懷念在心了嗎﹖
22 And the Lord was no longer able to put up with the evil of your doings and the disgusting things you did; and because of this your land has become a waste and a cause of wonder and a curse, with no one living in it, as at this day.
上主再也不能容忍你們邪惡的行為，和你們做的可惡的事，為此你們的土地變成了荒野，成了驚愕和詛咒的對象，無人居住，有如今日：
23 Because you have been burning perfumes, and sinning against the Lord, and have not given ear to the voice of the Lord, or gone in the way of his law or his rules or his orders; for this reason this evil has come on you, as it is today.
就因為你們燒香得罪了上主，不聽上主的勸告，不覆行他的法律、誡命和法令，纔給你們招來了像今日這樣的災禍。」
24 Further, Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, Give ear to the word of the Lord, all those of Judah who are living in Egypt:
以後，耶肋米亞又對全體人民和全體婦女說：「凡在埃及境內的猶大人，請聽上主的話!
25 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: You women have said with your mouths, and with your hands you have done what you said, We will certainly give effect to the oaths we have made, to have perfumes burned to the queen of heaven and drink offerings drained out to her: then give effect to your oaths and do them.
萬軍的上主，以色列的天主這樣說：你們和你們的女人都要親手做你們親口說的事；你們說：我們決意實踐我們許的誓願，向天后燒香奠酒。你們就實踐你們的誓願，舉行你們的奠祭罷!
26 And now give ear to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: Truly, I have taken an oath by my great name, says the Lord, that my name is no longer to be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, By the life of the Lord God.
但是，所有住在埃及地的猶大人，你們且聽上主的話：看，我以我偉大的名起誓──上主說：在埃及全地任何猶大人的口中，不會再呼號我名說：我主上主永在!
27 See, I am watching over them for evil and not for good: all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be wasted by the sword and by need of food till there is an end of them.
看，我注視他們，是為降災，不是為賜福，使在埃及地所有的猶大人，都死於刀劍饑荒，徹底消滅；
28 And those who get away safe from the sword will come back from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a very small number; and all the rest of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt and are living there, will see whose word has effect, mine or theirs.
即使有逃脫刀劍，從埃及地回到猶大的人，為數也寥寥無幾。到埃及地來寄居的全體猶大遺民，終於會知道：誰的話要應驗，是我的還是他們的。
29 And this will be the sign to you, says the Lord, that I will give you punishment in this place, so that you may see that my words will certainly have effect against you for evil:
這為你們是個徵兆──上主的斷語──就在這地方我要懲罰你們，叫你們知道：我對你們要降災的話，必要絕對應驗。
30 The Lord has said, See, I will give up Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of those who are fighting against him and desiring to take his life, as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, his hater, who had designs against his life.
上主這樣說：看，我必將埃及王法郎曷斐辣交在他仇人和圖謀他性命的人手中，就如我曾將猶大王漆德克雅，交在他仇人和圖謀他性命的巴比倫王拿步高的手中一樣。」
